


Numbskulls

by The_Night_Owl



Category: AU - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aftertale, Alternate Universe - Errortale, Alternate Universe - Horrortale, Alternate Universe - Inktale, Alternate Universe - Mobtale, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underlust, Alternate Universe - Underswap, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, Mental Health Issues, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:31:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Night_Owl/pseuds/The_Night_Owl
Summary: Monsters had breached the surface just a short year ago now, not that you'd know much about that. Yep, you were a bona-fide hermit, a stay at home artist and to actually pay the bills, you also ran a small financing business from home. Only when that business gets sent under by a few smucks with more bucks you'd ever see in your life, time calls to get a new job, but could this new gig be a little more than you could handle?





	1. Changes ahead

There wasn't really much to say about you, since you didn't really do much. Off to a great start you know, but you were nothing if not honest. Being blunt was the best policy to go about things. At least, you thought so. It helped to avoid those little... Mishaps in understanding, that and you have no filter between your mouth and your brain so you didn't really have much choice on the matter anyhow.  So no, you didn't really get up to much. Besides work you arse off from the comfort of your own home anyway, and since you'd prefer burning the candle at both ends to actually going outside any day, you hadn't really seen much either. You never really had time to watch television, read, much of anything to make you at least somewhat interesting. You did enjoy reading, you just never really had the time for it. Whatever time that wasn't spent managing other people's accounts was spent managing your own, or drawing commissions set to you from the art website you'd haphazardly set up on a whim. Yep, you like to mix thing up sometimes. By that you meant of course to slave over paint and pencil instead of numbers. To be honest, it was pretty impressive you'd even managed to keep it up for so long, concentration wasn't something you were proficient at. Keeping one thought in your head was a tall order when you had a million and one of em swirling in your head like noodle soup. Yeah, life was good. 

 In fact, the only reason you even knew anything substantial about the outside world at all was because of your nurse. She was you only outside contact, and she was probably the only person in... Ever, or at least a very long time that had ever been allowed into your little world you made for yourself. Well, five years wasn't too terribly long by most peoples standards, but giving that all of this time was spent by yourself, it all built up, and you were loving it. A bona-fide hermit, you were almost most comfortable right here at home, no external factors to stress over other than those of your own making. Rather than someone else. Why bother dealing with people when you had food and a nice comfy bed right? 

 The problem with this lifestyle was, in essence, It couldn't last. Of course it couldn't, or a helluva lot more people would be doing it. Yknow, the group of people who don't plan on living past thirty. The weaklings, so what if the stress induced heart problems could kill you in years when you haven't had to wear pants in months? Exactly. Point made. 

 All it had taken was a couple of big shots with a fat wallet to introduce themselves into the market. Customers had been attracted to the polished and shiny performance, the much more attractive advertisements. The general public was fickle by nature, and soon enough you'd found yourself short of revenue, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that your current method of breadwinning wasn't going to cut it much longer. Which pretty much brought you up to right now.

 "I-I just don't know what to do anymore, if this k-keeps up I'm gonna be in r-real trouble and nobody wants to h-hire someone who d-doesn't fit their damn c-cookie cutter expectations" you sniffled, voice shaking and much more wobbly than you had wanted it to sound like. It didn't convey the anger so much as it made you sound as pathetic as you felt, and you had your head planted between your knees, with your arms rigidly wrapped defensively around yourself. You hadn't moved in two hours and you weren't looking to break that streak any time soon. Unless your arm went dead. 

 You heard Hayley shift somewhere to your left, and the sofa beside you dipped a little with her added weight. A soothing hand squeezed your shoulder, and you sighed wetly at the pointless gesture that meant well but didn't really do anything. She didn't remove her hand, "well if that's the case we do offer services that can help you with all of this, remember? After our appointment last week I did a bit of digging around- I found quite a few good ones too, and I'll be here with you the whole way" she tried, and your breath left you as a violent shudder.

 Hayley was quite a daintily built woman, with long, slim arms to match her legs that she quite often adorned in skinny jeans, her overall frame sparrow-like. Her skin was bordering pale, but with a healthy glow that made her look anything but sickly, with pretty peach lips and hazel colored eyes that reminded you of an old fairytale about witches and candy houses. Somehow, you almost always found that her face was framed by an abundance of thick, bushy grayish brown hair that made her face seem to almost shine, and despite the unruly nature of her locks, they were always kept neatly out of the way, and she seemed to favor pushing one side behind her ear, allowing the opposite to curtain down her cheeks, which, despite being built like a twig, were plump with baby fat. She looked like the definition of all things friendly and good, and whilst this would no doubt spark jealously within the minds of other woman around the world, it calmed you. Here was someone so obviously... Okay, and that made everything she ever said that much more credible. She was reassurance, idealistic and, most importantly, safety in your eyes. 

 You didn't respond verbally, instead your quivering softened into a gentle shiver, and your shoulders visibly drooped, the death grip on your slacks slackening. She noticed this, apparently, as she continued, a touch more upbeat, "If you want, I'll even go to the interviews with you, I know it's hard, but you can get through this", she paused, taking note of your sideways glance to the thin air beside her, "and don't you go listening to them, you are in control, and don't let them spoil this for you. This is a good thing, outside isn't that scary, it might be now, but once you find your feet you'll have the time of your life" she assured, and you found yourself feeling just a little reassured. Though you still didn't allow your grip on yourself to unlock, working your fingers furiously into the grainy fabric of your pants. It made you feel better, the rhythmic movement and the constant texture against your skin, it was grounding. 

 "She's lying". 

 You shook your head, pushing your thumbs further into the worn cotton. 

 "You know she's just trying to trick you, stupid, stupid. Can't even see the red light in her face".

 You jumped up from your seat, staggering slightly from the sudden shift in weight. You heard Hayley jump, but you were too focused on trying to shake the voice from your mind. Pacing anxiously back and forth at a dizzying speed, trying to offer yourself some comfort in the familiar movement. The distress evident in your trembling voice as you hissed at them to keep quiet.

 "Would you like to look at some of the offers now?" Hayley offered, voice ending on an odd high note as she began rummaging through her bags. Selecting a pristine looking file and sliding it across the coffee table. Curious, you halted in your movements, stepping forwards and ducking down to a crouch in front of the table. Tipping forwards once again to settle on your knees, shuffling as you flipped through the options at your disposal. Hey, at least you weren't short of them either--you were pretty spoiled for choice really.though a quick glance revealed that the large majority of them branched into the hospitality industry, one were you weren't specially proficient in. People skills weren't your thing, socializing wasn't your forte. There had to be at least one offer that would let you keep to yourself, right? 

 waitressing? No, too much relying on your coordination skills, skills that didn't exist. You swear you could trip on thin air, though mostly that particular mishappening was the result of tangling your own feet together. Secretary? Hmmm, no, too much socializing... Now here's a tempting offer; a maid. You figured cleaning didn't sound too bad, and though the title, if a little old fashioned, wasn't something entirely out of your comfort zone. You could handle cleaning. Plus you probably would have to talk to anyone much right? The whole spiel about the best kind of "help" being seen but not heard, or was that kids? Either way, it was more appealing than the other pieces of paper.

 Hayley seemed to notice the pause in the rustling of paper, and she sat back up with a soft grunt. Plucking the sheet from you fingers and let her eyes skim the information written in crisp, neat ink. "Oh, that one is a live-in maid, are you sure you'd be able to cope with that? Apparently nobody else wants to take up the position because the house is full of monsters, so you'd be the only employee there"

 You considered it for a moment, then nodded happily. "Okay, I'm convinced, I'll do it" you deadpanned, and looked up in time to catch her throw you skeptical look. Though it had slid off her face before you thought of a sassy enough comback.  

"Are you sure?" she asked, pulling out her phone from her bag and rifling through a thick book stuffed with notes and scrawls, "You wouldn't be able to come back here you know, are you positive you want to try?" 

"y-yeah" you confirmed, though she still looked unsure. Though you meant it, no peers meant less people to interact with. Besides. You'd still be living at home, just a new one. You'd still be safe from the dreaded outside world that had neither the time nor place for you.

With that, she nodded, already dialing the number. She turned the speaker on after a few moments of watching you dither around trying to catch the second half of the conversation. Too uncomfortable to ask her to do it yourself, and you offered her a grateful smile.

 "so just making sure, she's cool with monsters,  yeah?" a gravelly voice rasped from the speaker phone. The static spiking at the end, and you heard rustling paper through the noise. Hayley hummed a yes, and you shot her an awkward thumbs-up, which she smiled at, only to turn her attention back onto the conversation at hand.

 "well uh, I'm not really one for formal meetings tibia honest, much more of an on-the-job kinda guy if you know what i mean" the voice quipped, though the joke flew completely over both of your heads, and you heard the distinctive sound of something clattering to the floor, followed by a shout of "you just don't want to put the effort into a meeting you lazybones!", followed by more sounds of general frustration and of things breaking. The lazy chuckle from the other end was their only answer to that accusation. Low, and very obviously amused.

 You found yourself snickering before you had the chance to remember you could actually be heard now. Though if the person on the other end noticed, they didn't comment on it, instead continuing to speak with a little more pep in their voice. "well if she's interested we'd love to meet her, 'course it'll be easier to give her the whole run down of the place in person, would Friday be alright with ya?".

 You nodded as she turned to you, brows raising in question, "Friday would be brilliant--thank you Mr.  umm, what was it, sorry?""

"Aster, alright, I'll send through the address and then i guess we'll see you friday"

 With that, the line went dead, and both you and Hayley blinked at the abruptness of the cut-off. You recovered quickly enough though, but yeesh, that guy sure was in a hurry to get gone. Then again he didn't sound like the type to enjoy tedious talk. He sounded ready for a nice long nap. Thinking about it, you could go for a nap right now too.

 Lucky for you, Hayley was quick to pick up on that you had reached your limit for the day. She was such an attentive person, you were really lucky to have her around. It wasn't long before she'd excused herself for the day, and promised to check up on you tomorrow, and when she left, you'd spent the remainder of the afternoon cocooned in a swath of blankets. Recharging your batteries from a long day of talking within your fortress of solitude that you'd be bidding farewell in just a few short days. 

 Well, if you got the job, that is.


	2. Preparation, and Mulling Things Over

 What was it about homes was it that made people get so attached to them? Simple structures of brick and concrete-- with unseen things inside that made them something more. Something living. Rather than just a thing to live _in_. The warmth of home and the breath of a creation that couldn't, yet did,breathe. Life was hidden away in the old stone, given to them by the people that called them their place to be. 

 Now, this... Idea, wasn't quite true. Despite how it felt otherwise. No, the homes _themselves_ have no life or breath of their own, they were more of a... Medium. Living through the people that dwelled within them. 

 See, when people treasure things, be it large or small, a small piece of themselves would always linger behind. From treasured stuffed animals filled with the smell of childhood and nostalgia of happy memories, to pieces of art that had been refined and practiced over, time and effort poured into to create masterpieces of many forms. 

 Souls were scattered everywhere. You just had to know where to look. How to pick apart the small details, appreciate the view of a scale so grand you don't think you'd ever really see the entirety of it. Even you held a small part to play in it too. Twinkling in different parts of the world like lost pieces of a puzzle that was never supposed to be put together, that it being apart made it whole. 

 You wondered what happened to those pieces when they became someone else's. 

 You had most of the upper part of your torso flopped over the too-high edge of your sink. Arms buried in soapy warm water as you teetered dangerously back and forth, tucking your knees under the edge to keep your balance. You'd already fallen in twice now, and you'd be damned if you had a third unplanned bath in dishwater. Why the fuck had you even bought that thing? In hindsight, bigger was not better. You could barely reach the bottom of it, and the chain rattled obnoxiously as you furiously scrubbed at the pots and pans. Water lapping further and further up your dripping wet sleeves. 

 The plan was, in essence, to get the house as clean as you could before you (maybe) left. You were many things, but a slob was not one of them. Well. At least not all the time. Laziness was a luxury for resting days only, laziness was earned. 

 Another errand you'd been spending the last day and a half getting done was to do the words largest round of laundry. That meant pajamas, day clothes, bedding--curtains. Everything that you could in order to have less to worry about in the event you actually scored the gig. You'd even dug out your suitcases too, which lay half-packed and open in the foot of your bed. A few bits and bobs sprawled across the general area nearby. 

 Your art gear, or at least, whatever wasn't currently drying out, had been suited and booted into the massive toolbox you'd bought a few years back. With everything else that you hadn't been able to stuff inside instead being set aside beside it, wrapped up in a few plastic bags for safekeeping. 

 As the water sloshed particularly higher than it had been, the drain gurgling as you emptied the bowl of filthy water, you suddenly became aware of an unusual shape forming beneath the suds. Though almost as soon as you became aware of it, the shape moved, and you had little time time to react as your mind formed the conclusion that it wasn't anything you'd put into it. Since everything had already been removed from the bowl.

 A sopping, soggy wrinkled hand latched tightly into your wrist. If you hadn't been waiting for it, you probably would have passed out right were you stood, but, these things. These sorts of things always followed a pattern. However, erratic or unreasonable it was, there were always subtle little hints or warnings. So it was a damn good thing you were paying attention. 

 Of course, expecting it didn't mean you were impervious to fear. So when the fingers around your arm tightened even further in their grip, you sure as hell flinched as though you'd been jolted with a burst of electricity. For a moment you just stood there, soaking up the panic, the terror in the pit of your stomach, blooming through your mind and replacing everything it encountered. And then it was gone. Of course, it didn't leave just like that, no. It ebbed away at the edges, every inch was fought for, as you willed yourself to breathe. In and out, through your nose, out your mouth. You could breathe, despite how it felt you were suffocating. Like a vice around your lungs, squeezing tighter and tighter until there was no room left. No, you could breathe perfectly well. Your brain just didn't agree is all. In, and out. Calm, don't let yourself start heaving--once you lost control of your breathing, everything was over. That's all you had to do, breathe, nothing else mattered. 

 Your arms were still being tugged further towards the drain. The water having cleared away to reveal a gnarled, diseased looking hand, big enough to wrap easily around both of your own. With pale, mottled flesh sagging off of its bones as though it was wearing a glove two sized too big. It was still very intent on pulling you down into the drain, which was, very apparently, far too small to accommodate a human of your size. Or of any size for that matter. In fact, you were surprised the hand had been able to fit in or out of it at all in the first place. Though the creaking-- swiftly followed by an appealing snap and crunching of bone as it retracted inside offered answer to that burning question. 

 It took a few attempts to pry your hand from the hand. It seemed frustrated when you finally slipped loose, watching it furiously scrabble around, flailing to find your fingers once more before it finally withdrew into the depths of the pipes. The whole time, you'd made sure to keep your soon-to-be-bruised limb far out of its berth. 

 With little else to do in the kitchen after that. You found your mind wandering back to the subject, the subject you'd been dwelling on quite a bit recently. Keeping your mind busy while your hands went to work, semi neatly folding clothes and slotting your possessions into your suitcases. 

 Monsters. You didn't know too much about them. Except that they'd apparently been trapped underground, and that they had been around for almost two years by now. At least, you thought so. You'd never really listened to the TV, since it had a nagging habit of speaking words that shouldn't have been said. Though you recall that Hayley had very excitably been filling you in on the details every so often as they came, between and during your appointments. You supposed you could understand her enthusiasm. With monsters apparently being very real, it left much to wonder what else about the world you'd all been blind to. 

 It was almost nostalgic. Maybe those childhood storybooks and fairytales had some credibility after all. 

 If you really git down to it though. The prospect of dealing with people in general left a sour taste in your mouth. It wasn't that you had anything against monsters specifically--you frankly didn't give two shits what they were. It just sucked that there were more people to worry about in the world now. More people that you'd struggle even more to relate too, especially since you didn't hadn't the foggiest idea on how they, or their culture even functioned. It was the nit knowing that gave you grief. A change in routine. You liked knowing what you were doing, and routine to look back on was how you really told the real world, from yours. 

 That was another problem too. Since monsters came in every shape and size under the sun--it made discerning them from just another blip a whole lot harder. A curve ball that, really, felt almost unfair. 

As if you didn't have enough to deal with. 

 In a lighter note. It wasn't all that off too admit that, even still, you did feel a spark of curiosity within your soul. The prospect of something... Something entirely new. An adventure, all of your own. After a life spent buried in other people's stories, it felt strangely exhilarating to finally be put into your own. Something genuinely amazing, something you hadn't had the chance to become disillusioned with yet. 

 It had been a very long tine since you'd felt so giddy, so--so alive. Or so terrified. 

 It was halfway through your packing that you realized that it probably wasn't the best idea to get so set on a job you hadn't actually been hired for yet. Somehow, this revelation didn't deter you from the task you'd set yourself. It was better to keep yourself busy anyway. Though it was a sobering thought. What if you didn't get _hired_? W-what if they, like everyone else, decided you didn't make the cut? There were so many other options out there that didn't cone with complications, what if they turned you down too? 

  No! Like Hayley said, it was no use panicking. You'd been given a chance to prove yourself so far. You had a chance. 

... What if that chance wasn't good enough? 

**"What if you fuck it up too, never thought about that did you? Idiot"**

**"She's packing the bags"**

**"hey don't you talk over me--stop thinking, stop thinking!"**

**"I t's c-c-comnng"      "You're in danger, girl!" **

"Oh shush, you guys!" you snapped. Inwardly berating yourself for going against Hayley's advice. 'don't react', she'd said, and, for the most part, you did just as you had been told. 

 Just... Sometimes you couldn't. Hey, everyone's patience had a limit right? Still, every time you did lose your cool, it always had a way of making you feel guilty for some reason. As if you'd let yourself down. Still, you continued, too irritated to allow them to keep yabbering unobstructed. "Hayley will be there to keep an eye on me--I'll be great! S-she'll take care of me, I k-know she will" you raved, nodding to yourself in agreement. Wow. You'd spoken with such conviction. You'd even surprised yourself. 

  The voices though, remained unimpressed. Underneath the soup of calls demanding your attention, you managed to catch the tail end of one. You recognized it, you say 'it', since they never actually stayed the same. You just... Knew who it was, sort of, it was more by feeling it out. Though, this time, it sounded distinctly male. Voice sounding relatively charming, but hard, and with an eerie whisper hiding in its undertones. 

**"--just a walking paycheck, she _doesn't care"_**

"Fine" you huffed, trying to shake off the simmering doubt dwelling deep in your chest. Voice wavering slightly, betraying you to your own brain. "I'm still going, and that's the end of it you faceless assfuck" you finished hotly. Ramming your shampoo into the bag and slapping down the lid with more force than was necessary. The zip making a satisfying clinking noise in protest before you zipped it shut. There. All done packing. Yes you realized that you had just called a figment of your own brain (and by extension, yourself) an assfuck. Whatever. It felt good to do it. It was real to you, anyway.

 You sighed heavily, slumping down onto the lumpy  couch, sagging into its creaking form. For a moment, the only sound that met your ears being the soft whoosh of air, as the worn out cushions adjusted to your weight. 

 You did however, jolt when the neighbours thwacked the wall in complaint. Muffled angry yelling barely making it through the walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter's so short, I just wanted to get this out there before I give you something you can really sink your teeth into~  
>  Thanks for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment on how you think the story is progressing, or just to give me a heads-up on anything I can improve on. A kudos is also always appreciated!
> 
> Till next time~


	3. No Bones About It... Kinda.

You were a wreck. You hadn't slept in three days, and your hair was still soaking wet from the shower you'd taken too try and keep yourself reasonably alert. The jet black ringlets of hair falling down your face as rats tails, the strays that refused to conform to your lazy day braid. The fat knot bleeding into a relaxed cluster of weaved hair that looked about ready to fall apart. You could only imagine what your face looked like, but going by the burning sting of overly dry eyes, your eye bags had eye bags by now.  

 

With a tentative knock, you stepped backwards from the door. Already regretting not asking Hayley to accompany you for the first meeting with your new bosses. In all your twenty-five years of living, you'd never been employed by... Well, anyone other than yourself before, and you were terrified. What if maybe they had second thoughts? What if maybe they didn't want someone like you after all? Would they mind if you... Experienced life differently? Would they call you out on it?

_**"Don't look now, filth".** _

 Stiffening, you turned towards the forest, whimpering at the sight of the woman slithering towards you. Face contorted into a silent agony of your nightmares, and head segmented long into the greenery so far your eyes couldn't see the end of it. Her grip on the rough bark tightened a fraction upon noticing that you'd spotted her,and you heard the tendons in her fingers snap under the pressure.

 You turned away, wrapping your arms around yourself in a lonely embrace. Fingers furiously rubbing against the fabric of your jacket for comfort. It's not real-- she's not real. You're just stressed, she'll go away soon. Oh Jesus please let the open the door soon.

 It seemed that somebody somewhere heard your unspoken plea, since the door suddenly burst open right at that moment.  Slamming against the wall with a crack that could have rivaled thunder, and you marveled at how the thing was still attached to its hinges. Or intact at all. 

 "HUMAN?"  

"HUMAN!" 

A pair of high pitched voices bellowed, that being your only warning before something small and hard rammed into you with the force of a torpedo. Another, larger figure moving to grip vigorously at your shoulders. You didn't move, instead staring at the door, waiting for it all to snap back into focus.

 "IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU MISS-NOT-TINY HUMAN! BROTHER TOLD ME YOU WERE DUE TO COME THIS MORNING SO I, BEING THE MOST GRACEFUL HOST, HAVE ARTFULLY PREPARED SOME WELCOMING SPAGHETTI TO CELEBRATE AND MAKE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN YOUR NEW HOME!" the taller of the two bellowed into your ear, and you glanced up to see a pair of black pits staring into your eyes. Closer inspection revealing the owner of said pits to be a skeleton, a very tall skeleton in fact. He towered over you, which wasn't saying much, but he was well over six feet high, so he had to crouch to even attempt to meet you square on. You'd kill for that kind of height. Maybe he was wearing stilts? 

  You caught sight of what looked vaguely like armour adorning his torso, ending just under where his ribs probably began, and a billowing red scarf decorating his throat. With large, red mitted gloves on his hand to match. The whole get-up was pretty ridiculous, but he wore it well. You were more concerned about his empty ass eye sockets. You were really tempted to reach in and see how it felt, but you didn't, no. That would be rude. 

 In other news. The thing that currently head a death grip around your torso also appeared to be a skeleton, only much smaller than his companion. As well as his clothing seemed to consist of what looked like a sky blue bandanna wrapped around his neck and a white t-shirt. His eyes? Eye sockets weren't empty like his friend's though, as his were filled with what looked like little lights. Lights that looked almost like--like stars, and his skull had a much denser structure to it. Again, back to the lights thing-- did he stick LED's or something inside his skull or something? Wouldn't that hurt? 

 The smaller one didn't unlatch himself from you once you both made eye contact. Instead, he just kind of tried to jump for joy and took you with him. Boy, the small dude was strong, and with no muscle either. How'd that work? The guy was practically vibrating in excitement, and that combined with the close proximity made you feel lightheaded. He beamed at you so hard you worried his face would split in two. Jeez, this guy was like a puppy, it would have been endearing had you been able to observe it from a distance and not up close and personal, "AND I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, MADE YOU WELCOME TACOS! THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN, WE CAN HAVE SLUMBER PARTIES IN THE LOUNGE AND WATCH NAPSTABLOOK AND PLAY GAMES--"

The taller skeleton chimed in "--AND PLAY PUZZLES TOO!", and the smaller skeleton--Sans? Nodded enthusiastically in agreement, "--YEAH, THAT TOO!"

 Now you had no idea what or who napstablook was or is, but the promise of food really put you off. Or it would have, you didn't know these two after all.  

  _ **"Good girl, clever for once, you never know what's in there. Not safe."**_

The two bone boys continued to chatter amongst themselves. With you standing ramrod straight in the middle, feeling very uncomfortable. In fact, you were so uneasy, you were surprised they hadn't already picked up on the "please don't touch me" vibes that you were willing to emanate from your entire body by now. 

"you don't talk much huh? No matter, we can be friends even without using _words_ to convey our thoughts and feelings, though i have to admit that would be much easier--" 

 Well it was more of a matter of you not having a word in edge-ways, but sure, you _didn't_ talk much. He had a point, kinda. These two were probably the less literal definition of being swept up in a whirlwind. 

  "heh, sorry 'bout that, he's just excited that he _maid_ a new pal, ain't ya pap? " a deeper voice interrupted. At the same time, part of you remembered that you hadn't been hired yet. You would have sighed in relief. 

You blinked, eyes zeroing in on, surprise, another  skeleton. Roughly the same height as lil' blue,  that had thankfully detached himself from you upon hearing the new arrival. You looked back to the two bouncing skeletons flanking either side. Putting two and two together and staring at them with newly opened eyes. 

 "y-you two are r-real?" you yelped incredulously, stumbling back a few steps, only to lose your footing and fall ungracefully onto your butt. The new guy gave you a funny look, but stepped forwards anyway, while Sans offered you a hand to help you up, which you took with a murmured thank you. Great first uh, social... Interaction? You didn't know this was the first time you'd left the damn house in donkeys years shush. Still, way to mess it up you, you doubt screaming the realization that two of your potential bosses were actually from this plane of existence was a good way to establish yourself as a good candidate for employment.

 Regardless, the new guy casually stuck out a hand, a lazy grin on his face that was too tight around the edges, and you shook it nervously, trying and failing to meet his eyes. "name's sans, sans the skeleton" he greeted, and you scrunched your nose, squinting at him scrutinizingly.

 Wait, what? You looked between him and the other sans and back, "b-but..he's Sans? You have the same name? " you asked, though it came out a little softer than you'd intended, you were surprised he caught it at all. So much was so wrong in so many ways about this situation. Is this how people normally interacted with people? Is that a normal thing? How did people even deal with this ever day all day? You were already emotionally drained and you'd been here five minutes. Was it still too late to go back home?

 For some reason, this new Sans grip tightened a little at this, and when he stiffly released your hand, you were regrettably far to quick to pull it away. Though you were too worried about what the fuck you'd said wrong to worry much about offending the guy. Yay you! Small victories.

 Sans made a face, something between what was probably intended to be a friendly kind of grin and another, less friendly kind of "you've mortally offended me" look. His voice though, reflected only the former, which was a good sign. Right?

 "heh, yeah i guess you could say that" he said, and the you in your brain was biting back the "well it's either yes or no dude, you either have the same name or you don't it's not that hard", but instead, you nodded, mouth forming a perfect "o".

 Taking your silence as a... Well, you don't really know what he took it as, but either way, he effortlessly corralled the two other skeletons inside before you even knew what had happened. In fact, he'd also stirred you inside too. You offered no complaint of course. 

 As the door closed behind you, your eyes caught the contorted woman's face peering in through the crack, cold, soulless eyes filled with malice and unspent cruelty. You felt your body go rigid at the sight, though for some reason, the skeletal hand at your shoulder flinched as well--right along with you. 

 Maybe you'd just imagined it? 

 Inside, the house was deceptively large. The front entrances hallway led into an impressively large living room, which also bled into an immaculately kept kitchenette. It was strange though, it was very clean--not that this was a bad thing, but... You thought they needed someone to take care of the place, right? Only they were apparently already pretty capable even without help. Maybe it was a time thing and not a matter of capability then? 

 The place itself looked really comfortable too, the the kitchens rustic-yet-modern design was a stark contrast to the simplicity of the lounge. Which, for some reason, reminded you of the pictures of those old pictures of log cabins you'd see in Christmas cards. With a fluffy, large red and burgundy ringed rug spread across the oak wooden floorboards, and a similarly fashioned plush-looking L-shaped sofa framing its corner. Back facing the kitchen so it's occupants could face the moderately sized flat screen mounted on the far wall. 

 Your attention however, was quickly snatched away by a familiar form sat snugly against the arm of the couch, happily chatting away to--a-another... Skeleton. Though still managing to maintain a professionally composed aura about herself. 

 The relief was instant. 

 She turned to you, just as you broke away from Sans #2 to latch to her side. Not quite sitting, just awkwardly hunching over beside her. She seemed less than surprised, though she did squeak in shock at the sudden contact. You'd offered no warning whatsoever after all--that and you'd basically launched yourself at the woman from behind. 

Nevertheless, she was the only familiar face in the room. That, by itself, was enough to sooth your anxieties somewhat. That, and her presence had effectively rescued you from both people, and your complete nonexistent skills of dealing with em. 

 "Hey there Julia, you did really well getting here all by yourself" Hayley praised, a proud smile spreading across her face. So earnest--you almost even believed it, but the nagging doubt took that small happiness away. 

_**"Good girl"** _

You shook the unwanted voice away. Hayley offered no comment, simply continued to grin at you, with a knowing glint in her eye. You offered a weak smile in return, trying to convey your appreciation, before sinking to the floor beside her. Shrinking in on yourself-- trying to make yourself as small as possible in face of this terrifying adversary. You trusted her to get you through this, so you withdrew from the room entirely, retreating to a view behind your eyes. 

 "So, I get why Judy has to be here, but uh--why are you?" the less enthusiastic Sans asked suddenly. He sounded like he was trying to sound as polite as he possibly could whilst voicing his concern--and it did. There was nothing about his posture or tone than implied he was trying to be anything but, but you could tell, even with your gaze directed to the floor, that there was something a little... Off. Only, not something directed at Hayley.

 Geez, you must be really losing it. It must've been all the stress-- you were becoming paranoid, even more so than usual. The guy was just asking a simple and totally warranted question so why did you feel so personally attacked? There wasn't anything there to suggest he had even tried to get at you, and logically speaking, you knew it. 

 But logic and delusion had a way of coexisting together. Only not as peacefully as you'd have wished. 

 "Julia" hayley corrected smoothly. Nodding her head as the skeleton took a seat at a respective distance away. A pair of fluffy pink slippers briefly passed by your field of vision, and another pair of footsteps indicated that he was followed by the other two. Only you didn't hear any of them sit along with him, so you assumed they had remained standing. 

 "o-oh yeah, right" Sans mumbled, seeming a little taken back by the sudden correction. He didn't seem bothered by anything else though. Lucky bastard. You'd've never been able to live that kind of blunder down. Before anyone else could speak again though, another voice interrupted,and you recognized it as the taller skeleton. His voice was just as boisterous inside, as it was out. Only this time, his was dripping with concern, which was weird, seeing as the two of you were strangers, and it seemed his words were directed towards you. 

"I DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE, MISS HUMAN--BUT, IS MISS JULIA ALRIGHT?" he pressed, adding "SHE ISN'T MOVING", after a moment with no response. 

 You heard her shifting a little as she waved him off. Nodding towards you nonchalantly, "oh, she's alright, I think she's just a bit overwhelmed is all". She was right. 

"It's really best to leave her to recover by herself in this situation, she's not used to so much attention" she finished, but the tall skeleton didn't appear satisfied. You hummed in affirmation at her words, hoping to deflect the focus back away from yourself. At least directly speaking. Being under the spotlight was much more fucking intimidating than you remembered, but then again it had been a long time since you'd had to deal with living people in the flesh... So to speak. 

 Nobody spoke for a few moments, so Hayley took the opportunity to continue. "Well as I've already covered before Julia arrived here, I've provided you with her CV, really my only purpose for being present here is to support her", you heard shifting of papers, and a familiar looking bag was carefully set down beside you. So gentle there was barely any sound as it settled against the floor. You sent a silent thank you to that godsend of a woman, less so towards the slipper-wearing skeleton, who had a nasty habit of roughly handling his--you glanced upwards to check- his mug. You could feel yourself twitching at every loud clank against the low set coffee table. 

 "support?" he questioned. 

 Hayley nodded, "Yes, I'm registered as her Nurse actually, from the Early Inte--" 

 Once again, she was cut off. Though this time, Sans #1 was the culprit, "NURSE? IS MISS JULIA SICK? IS IT SERIOUS?". 

 Hadn't these two loudmouths ever heard of indoor voices? 

 Luckily, Hayley had a lot more patience than you. Probably a good thing since a big part of her job was dealing with people like you. Hell nobody could pay you enough to deal with you-- and _you **were** you!_  

 "No no, well, not with the right care of course, really she's doing very well, I'm very pleased with how she's been progressing. She's a very hard worker, and I'm positive she'd be a brilliant asset to your household, if you're willing to make some small adaptions to her needs". 

 "WHY OF COURSE WE WILL--" the two energetic bundles of bones proclaimed in unison. 

"Hang on a second, there's just one problem here" Sans #2 spoke up. Bluntly ignoring the "HEY!" of protest coming from his... Brother? You think? 

 "I think you're forgetting something here, does she even want to work with us?"

"W-what do you mean? I'm sorry I don't understand what you're asking?" 

Huh, well that was weird. 

 "You said over the line that she was alright with monsters, are you sure about that?" 

 Well that certainly got your attention. As if he didn't already have it anyway, but your point still stands.

 Even so. Even you were pretty surprised when you yourself responded, unprompted by Hayley. 

"I don't" you said firmly. "have any problems with monsters I mean" you added, just in case. Making direct eye contact with him as you said so, even if you refused to budge from your place on the floor. Knees drawn up and a curtain of hair threatening to blind you to the rest of the world, acting as a shield between you and the unpleasantness of everything beyond it. He didn't seem convinced, but you didn't really care either way. Whether he believed you or not was irrelevant, you'd corrected him, so any misunderstandings from that point out were his fault, and his concern. Satisfied, you withdrew once more.

 God you were tired. So much socializing in one day, how did people survive in the dreaded outside world like this? And, even more amazingly, actually _enjoy_ doing it? Madness. 

 "BRILLIANT, WELL THEN, I THINK IT'S SETTLED" 

"W-wait bro n--" 

"YOU'RE HIRED!" Papyrus declared triumphantly, and Hayley squealed in excitement for you. Settling a gentle hand on your shoulder and squeezing, a gesture portraying what words couldn't. Meanwhile, as Papyrus and Sans #1 exchanged a round of excited high-fives and cheering. The skeleton left over looked to be dying a little inside, smile looking comically flat on his face, and he stood shakily. Muttering something about ketchup before wandering off. 

 

Details were exchanged and ironed out more after that. You were to move in tomorrow, and begin after you'd settled yourself in. It was all very fast paced, but you reasoned that was a good thing. Probably. You did need this job after all, and the sooner the better right? Apparently, not everyone who actually resided in the household were currently present, so you'd just have to wait and see. It struck you as being odd, but you didn't question it, any of it. Hopefully they weren't all as... Loud, as that first Sans and Papyrus. Then again, at least they were more welcoming as that second Sans, you might've been imagining it. But he seemed to have been acting very sour towards you since Papyrus had gave you the green light. 

 You knew this because every time you allowed your eyes to flicker in his direction, he had been glaring at you. That was bad, and probably something to be concerned about, but technically he hadn't said or done anything yet so maybe it was alright? Well if anything ended up going bad you could always count on Hayley. 

... Ah what the hell. You couldn't fool yourself. You felt really worried. Maybe next time you saw him you should--say something? You dunno, try and ask him if he had a problem or something? You'd have to wing it. 

Nevertheless, it still felt like the whole ordeal had been way too easy. Well. Not easy per say, but not as hard as it probably should have been at least. 

 After that, the skeletal trio had waved you off from the front porch, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. And you were thankful for Hayley offering you a ride home, saving you having to call a taxi.

 Just as you were pulling out of the driveway, Hayley suddenly paused. Curious, you turned to glance at her, brow raised in question, only to grow more confused at the troubled frown on her face. 

 "You know" she said, as she shifted gears deftly, eyes not even wavering from their place staring into the side mirror. Which was pointed at such an angle that she was provided with a perfect view of the skeleton house. "I could have sworn I forgot something back there".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kinda late, I'm pretty behind on all my writing since my mental health has gone to sh*t.  
> Anyway, back to the less boring stuff-- so Julia got hired! Woo! Plus, now you guys know our lady protagonist's name! Also woo! But Sans seems a little against our little human lady friend, hmm, any guesses why? Or maybe it really was just her imagination? Time will tell.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading, and thanks for doing so too. If you did enjoy, why not leave a little comment, or even a kudos?  
> Till next time~


	4. As if You Weren't Scared Enough Already

 Papyrus and Sans, or well, one of them. The energetic one at least, insisted to help you with your luggage. As in, they actually didn't give you much of a choice when you showed up, physically whisking the bags out of your actual hands and running off to a room inside the house. While you trailed behind, attempting to stammer out noises of complaint and poorly expressing the guilt you felt about having them help you so much. It was probably fortunate those barely coherent words fell on deaf ears. Enthusiastic deaf ears. You doubt it'd have made much of a difference even if they had heard anyway. 

 You noticed straight away how... Withdrawn the not-so peppy Sans was acting today. So far he'd offered a stiff wave as prompted by Papyrus, but had made no further attempt at conversation. Or communication at all really. He was just...standing there. Staring. As if he could see right through you. Maybe he could. Maybe he could see what you were thinking--right now, as you were thinking it. 

 You got the distinct impression, that this skeleton monster didn't like you very much. 

... The problem here being. Was this actually him not liking you, or was this you. Making assumptions, or convincing yourself to see the bad in him. Was this one of those delusions you were supposed to have? Or was this genuine dislike? 

You had absolutely no fucking idea. So, you decided to focus instead on the two friendly monsters. 

 "WE HAVE SAFELY DELIVERED YOUR BELONGINGS TO YOUR ROOM, MISS HUMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH THE REST?" Papyrus proudly bellowed. Puffing his chest out in what you supposed was some kind of display of strength--which based on how easily he'd yanked your suitcase from your hands, was actually rather justified. He'd carried the thing like it weighed nothing more than a handbag, and ran off with it with absolutely no impediment to his speed. Truly a terrifying individual. 

 Frowning, your now empty hands fumbled to pick at the hem of your sweatshirt. It was already riddles with holes where you'd worn at it, but the rough texture of the knobbly fabric helped, well, it helped you to stay in the moment. Make sense of things without your mind wandering elsewhere. "O-others? No, umm, this is all, I-umm I've got my backpack and a f-few boxes but I think I can--"

"NONSENSE" Sans interrupted, already moving towards to take them from you. Unlike Papyrus, his hands weren't quite as gentle as he prized the box from your clutches. Your grip was tight on the damn thing, and your latching into it was only growing stronger at the unexpected sensation of the weight being taken from you. 

He took absolutely no notice. Once the cardboard was secured safely in his grip, he easily maneuvered to stoop down, grabbing the second too, and rushing off to wherever Papyrus had disappeared too a minute ago. The combined height of his cargo stacked on top of one another dwarfed him in size, but he was no visually worse off. 

 How could something with no muscle be so strong?! Was that even--how did the physics on that shit work out. Like holy shit there was only so far 'magic' could go right? That excuse was being run into the ground harder than a dead horse. 

 The assurance that you could handle it yourself died on your tongue. And you resigned to the fact that these skeletons were going to to help you, regardless of whether you needed, or wanted it. Someone however, seemed very displeased with this turn of events. And that someone was not you.

_"Ooo, look at that, he already hates her"_

_"Must be a new record"_

_"What did you do missy? It's obviously your fault"_

 You didn't do anything! At least, you couldn't remember doing anything, had you said something bad? No you hadn't really spoken much--maybe that was it? But that didn't make any sense, why would anyone care if you didn't talk much? Maybe you'd looked at him funny? Ah, this was impossible. People were so difficult. 

 Sans was definitely glaring at you though. You were sure now, that was definitely not just you. He's watching way too closely. He really was, his gaze was intently fixed on you, unwavering even when Papyrus crashed to the floor after slipping on a so--wait OH SHIT! 

 You'd been so focused on trying to avoid Sans' eye, that you'd neglected to keep an eye on the other two skeletons. During their haste to get your luggage sorted, it appeared that one of your socks had slipped out from one of your boxes. And poor Papyrus had been unfortunate enough to step on it, and you looked up just in time to watch his leg slide right from under him. His fixed expression switched into one of mild alarm, before he flew backwards, landing solidly on his spine with a sickeningly loud _thud_. 

That must've hurt. 

 "P-Papyrus ? Are you a-alright?" you quietly stammered, standing over him and tentatively reaching a hand down to help him up. The dumbfounded skeleton blinked up at you, dazed, but broke into a huge grin. Odd for someone who'd just winded himself and was still lying ramrod straight like a plank of the floor. Leg still up in the air. 

 Before he could reach a gloved hand up to grab at yours, a bony arm not-so-gently shoved you aside. 

 "That's was quite a fall bro, you alright?" 

 Papyrus beamed at the attention. "NOT TO WORRY BROTHER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY SUCH A MEASLY FALL!" he assured, but winced slightly as he turned to you. "THOUGH I DO APOLOGIES FOR DROPPING ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS, MISS HUMAN" 

"eh, no worries, everyone _slips up_ from time to time" Sans interjected, earning an unhappy groan from the felled skeleton. Which only seemed to serve to encourage the grinning monster, as his toothy smile grew wider. 

 Meanwhile, you and the other Sans were still standing beside the two brothers (you think?), trying to make sure Papyrus really was alright. Thankfully though, he practically jumped up after Sans's pun. Seeming none the worse for wear. 

 Geez that was gonna get confusing. Two Sans's, maybe you should think of an alternative for them so you wouldn't confuse yourself? Not to say to their faces of course, that'd be rude. But there was no harm in making your own life a little easier. 

 What about... Shit, you were hopeless at this. 

 _"That's nothing new now is it?"_  a nagging voice hissed in your ear. You practically felt the warm breath on your neck, and you had to resist the temptation to snap towards the sound. You flinched though, hard, but thankfully this time, nobody noticed. Not even the ever watchful Sans--the grumpy slipper wearing Sans that kept glaring at you. You were still certain you hadn't done anything to bug him though. Maybe he was just watching you carefully because you were a stranger, and he wasn't actually wishing a horrible, horrible death on you. 

That thought made you feel a little better. 

 "--SO FOR NOW, LET US BEGIN THE HOUSE TOUR!" Papyrus's voice suddenly snapped you to attention. The two Sans's reactions simply further emphasized that they were polar opposites. With the blueberry clad skeletons eyes lighting up with enthusiasm, and the hoodie-wearing skeleton sagging in a way that told you he wanted nothing more than to not be there. 

 Rather than wonder why he didn't just do the sensible thing, and leave, you instead focused on learning your way around the house. Y'know, since you kinda needed to know to do your new job right. Time to pay attention. 

 Papyrus kindling started with the front door, which was nice, starting from the beginning--made sense. Helped you to keep track of things. Only, the skeleton, how do you put this nicely? Well, he, for some reason, felt the need to... Explain what the front entrance was _for_. And he wasn't taking the piss, his face was completely and utterly serious. While you simply struggled to keep your expression in the range of anything polite. 

 "THIS HUMAN, IS THE FRONT DOOR" he began, face sterner than you'd ever seen it. "THIS IS HOW YOU ENTER THE HOUSE, SEE, AS DOORS ARE SPECIAL, AND CAN OPEN THESE CONTRAPTIONS, TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR--WITHOUT BREAKING THE WALL!", you were staring now, struggling with whether or not you should laugh or be really offended. As if you hadn't actually stepped through the door yourself that morning already, he seemed to feel the need to give you a live demonstration. 

 Thankfully, he moved on pretty quickly. The next stop on the itinerary was the lounge, another place you were familiar with, only this time, he went into detail on where things where and what those things were used for. The reasonably large sized flat screen, mounted on the wall, was also accompanied by a wide selection of what looked like family photographs. All featuring monsters of course, though with a lot more skeleton monsters than you'd met so far. You knew that there were more residents in the household, but you didn't expect them all to be skeletons, or so... Similar looking. Kinda. As if each pair of skeletons were wearing themed costumes, but their physiques otherwise being practically identical to one another. 

 There were other monsters featured in the frames as well, but strangely, the only skeletons that seemed to be featured alongside these strangers were Papyrus, and the hoodie-wearing Sans. Featured respectively in their photographs in large group photos alongside the other skeletons, and individually with what looked like a small yellow dinosaur monster. Hunched over nervously, and wearing a crisp white, but wrinkled lab coat. As well as many other photographs of Papyrus standing in dramatic looking poses with a large, intimating fish-like monster. With Fiery red hair,  beautiful blue scales and piercing golden eyes. Or eye rather, since over where her left eye should have been, rested a small black eye-patch. 

 In one of the photographs, it seemed that that the fish monstress was frozen, midair, with Papyrus lifted right over her head. Fixing the camera with a sharp toothed grin, looking very pleased with herself. 

 Huh. That... Actually looked like fun. Terrifying, but fun, you were smiling as your eyes continued drifting around the room. 

 Below the television, resting on the ground, was a large, thickly built television stand. Void of the TV of course, but instead a bulky looking games console rested in its place on top, with a few extra controllers resting in a neat pile beside it. As well as a small DVD player tucked under one of the shelves, with stacks upon stacks of games and movies stored within its cabinets. 

 Moving from the simplistic lounge, Papyrus seemed very excited to steer you into the kitchen. Which you'd already caught a good glimpse of from the lounge, with no walls separating the two areas. Like you'd already guessed, the whole room had very rustic, homely kind of vibe. No marble tabletops like were a kind of fashion all on their own now, but a lot of woodwork. You grimaced at that, wood was harder to clean than most other surfaces, and was more susceptible to staining. 

 There were a lot of storage space underneath the worktops, mostly filled with cutlery and heavily battered cooking tools. Like, really battered. The stainless steel was scorched black in places, and the mostly intact wooden tools looked too delicate to touch. Like they'd crumble to pieces if handled too roughly. You gulped at the sight, eyes darting from the equipment, and the two beaming skeletons. You had a nagging suspicion that those two were mostly responsible for the damage, if the sickly look on Sans's face was anything to go by. 

 Jeez, what kind of shit did those two get up to in here? Maybe you should see about taking over kitchen duties too. 

 Blueberry took the opportunity to show you how to work the small, yet very sophisticated stove, explaining which knobs turned on what bits and bobs. You turned down the demonstration though, but thanked them for teaching you how it all worked, as well as a quick run though of how to use the alarm on the oven. 

 The the excited skeletons seemed reluctant to leave the kitchen, but you took the initiative (while mentally cringing at the attention it brought) to usher everyone out towards the staircase. The whole time, Sans was regarding you, with narrowed eyesockets. You decided, to combat this, to stick to the two evidently friendlier pair who seemed happy for the attention. 

This just seemed to irk the unhappy skeleton further. 

 Then came the bathroom. The skeletons explained that they all had a schedule when it came to using it, to avoid arguments. As kindly explained by Sans. And that with the addition of you being a female, everyone had come to the agreement to allow you bathroom privileges in the evening, when it was quieter, to allow you a little more privacy. Being an all-male household. That was very much appreciated, since you couldn't deny, you had been a little concerned about that. 

 The room was actually larger than you'd expected. As was the rest of the building. And was equipped with _both_ a shoulder-deep bathtub and a decently sized shower. Nice surprise, even though you weren't all that fond of baths. Swimming in your own filth was exactly appealing to you, but, the shower was nice and roomy. The only issue you'd have with the room would be the medicine cabinet over the sink. 

 A mirror was attached to its door, and as you peered into it, you watched as your own face melted away. 

 Ah, not fun. But Sans was still talking, he was moving towards you, but showed no signs of leaving. Oh crap, you _needed to go._

"Greetings, Julia" the face greeted. Voice smooth as silk, almost childlike, but it definitely didn't match its owner. Except for the sinister hiss that spoke along with it, just quiet enough to be unintelligible. The boy's face smiled kindly up at you, one side of the blondes face completely caved in. The burns scarring his face seemed to spread, like some sort of mold, from the still bleeding wound. 

 You took a step back, trying to look like you were paying attention to the monsters speech. But making sure to keep a wary eye on the reflection in the mirror. Whatever was left of it contorted into something resembling hurt. White lips lips pouting, and his bottom lip trembled. 

 "Aww, why are you standing so far away? Aren't we friends?" he whined, face looking upset. Only for it to shift suddenly, suddenly... Manic. Eyes far too wide to be natural.

 " _Come **closer**_ ". 

 Choking back a shriek, you hurled yourself as far back as your legs could push you. Narrowly avoiding the boys flailing hand reaching out from the glass. You barely even felt the pain when your head collided with the back tile, heart hammering in your throat. 

 Papyrus was suddenly kneeling in front of you. Expression bewildered, before relaxing into a good natured smile. Behind him, Sans was eyeing you with wide eyesockets, clutching his chest cavity as if he had a heart that could actually stop. 

 Frick. You'd just done a stupid thing--but it wasn't your fault! Oh crap, you were mortified. They'd watched you flip out. You could have cried, if that wouldn't have made the situation worse. 

 "IT'S OKAY HUMAN, PAPYRUS WASN'T TRYING TO STARTLE YOU" Blueberry soothed, gently, at least for him. You still felt your eardrums ready to explode. Still, the assurance made you feel a little better.

... Wait. Papyrus? Why did he think that was his fault? 

 Papyrus nodded wisely in agreement. The hand hovering in the air between you didn't go unnoticed. It was just inches from resting on your shoulder, he saw your eyes dart to it, and quickly pulled it away. It settled fiddling at his scarf, as if he didn't know exactly sure what he should do with it. 

 "INDEED" he agreed, but something changed in the way he handled himself, and he made a noise as though clearing6his throat. Before continuing in a softer tone, "I'm sorry for scaring you". 

 Wait--no! 

 "I'm sorry too!" you blurted in a panic. Shaking yours hands in a rapid fashion, before freezing up completely, and wrapping them back around yourself. "I w-wasn't paying attention I, wasn't scared of you I--", you trailed off, suddenly the floor by your feet was so very fascinating. 

 The skeleton, however, crinkling his eyes in delight, clapped both hands to your shoulders. Happily whisking you out of the room in a flourish, and you thankfully allowed him to. 

 The rest of the tour went off without a hitch. 

 

 "human." came Sans's voice behind you. Chilling, and tight, and you turned around to face him. Finding his surprisingly imposing figure inches away from yours, toes almost touching. His grin was tight, bordering on murderous. 

 His eyelights were dark. And you found yourself peering into completely black sockets. 

 You couldn't tell where he was looking, but it felt like he was watching your face, carefully. Searching your expression as if trying to read your thoughts through you eyes. You felt your mouth go dry, but you didn't move. Instead, swallowing thickly, you nodded, telling him you were listening. 

 "I see how you are with Paps" he said, biting out the words quietly. He didn't speak for a moment, and you eyed the small space between him and the door frame. Sending a longing look towards the hearty laughter coming from the lounge. Sans had cornered you in the hall on your way back from the bathroom. You'd been uncomfortable sitting in the middle of the two hyperactive monsters, but now. Damn what you'd give to be back smushed between them like wet on water. 

 Sans must have seen the shift in your gaze, since his shoulders rolled imposingly in their sockets, and he shuffled further forwards. Closing the gap. 

 Dammit. 

 "I'll cut to the chase, kid" he growled, head low, with his chin resting on his chest. Looking up at you like he was guarding his throat from a hungry pack of wolves. "I don't _like_ the way you look at us", he took another step forwards, "and I think you'll find that when I don't like someone", you took a step back. Shit, you backed down. A flicker of triumph crossed his face, but it was gone too fast. That was okay, wasn't a good thing anyway. 

 "I can be very... Difficult, to get along with". Huh. No shit sherlock, and here you were planning the best friend party. How embarrassing, you'd have to cancel that order of party hats. 

 Ah. Your back, suddenly something was being pressed against it. A quick check revealed that, that something, was a wall. And it was, in fact, you who was being pressed against it. You hadn't even realized you'd been stepping back, Sans hadn't even appeared to move. But here you both were, and you continued to try to retreat back into your jacket. If he got much closer, you would probably start sliding down the wall. 

 "you watch yourself around my brother" he warned in a very dark sounding voice. You shuddered at that, all thoughts at holding your ground and keeping whatever dignity you had left went out the window. 

"around all of us" he corrected. You frantically nodded. Tears prickling at your eyes, the burn in your cheeks told you that you had already gone red. 

 As scared as you were, you couldn't deny, you were slightly offended at what Sans was implying. He was acting as if you'd been planning to mess with them. As if you could, barring Sans, the other two. Loud (and maybe a teeny bit obnoxious) as they were, they were total sweethearts. And had been nothing but kind to you so far. It bothered you to even imagine messing with either of them. Of course, you couldn't say that to this guys face. He'd probably bite yours off. 

 So, in spite of your better judgment, you nodded, "I w-wouldn't dream of it". 

 Well. It wasn't like you were going to hurt them anyway. It wasn't a lie. But a small part of you, the reckless, very pissed off part, had a niggling feeling that you should have set the skeleton straight when you had the chance.


	5. A New Arrival

It was like you'd flipped a switch with Sans. After his little episode back in the hallway, he'd been acting as if nothing had happened. Better, in fact, he was acting a lot more animated than before. You'd almost call it friendly, if not for the odd way he kept looking at you, whenever the other two skeletons backs were turned. 

To be honest. You doubted they'd have noticed even if they had caught him. You wouldn't call them stupid, but definitely... Trusting. Maybe a little to trusting. He'd have been off the hook with a few nice words and a friendly clap to the back. 

 You were just about to give up for the night and excuse yourself to your room when the the sound of keys jiggling in the lock of the front door commanded everyone's attention. Very welcomed relief, kinda, ah heck. You were still way too on edge, made even worse when both Papyrus and Blueberry leaped off of the sofa to investigate. Heh, Blueberry, you hadn't really thought much about what you were calling him, but it kinda fit. Like the colour of his bandana. Anyway, both him and Papyrus left, leaving you with Sans, who hadn't left. Seeming quite happily to remain lounging away in the crook of his armchair, sagging so deeply into the cushions that it was like he was trying to become one with it. 

 As soon as they were out of sight. His eyesockets, which had previously been half shut in a sleepy haze, shot open as if a switch had been pulled. And they were empty again, but you could still tell he was still staring at you. Yeah. That wasn't any less eerie the twentieth time around. 

 God dammit when would the evening end?! You couldn't even move, even though you really just wanted to scurry away to your room, maybe phone Hayley and beg her to get you the fuck outta here. But you were just stuck, sitting ramrod straight with your shoulders up around your ears, fists clenched and trembling in your lap. 

 _'C'mon Papy-boy, Blue--hurry up and save me from this fucking creepy ass bastard!'_ was all you could think. 

 _"Even I don't know what you did, girl"_ a voice suddenly hissed in your ear, and you flinched as the unintelligible whispers became immediately harsher. Words becoming distinguishable as they all rose their volume, trying to speak over one another, like a chain reaction. 

 "Oh it was something" another responded in a way that made you wonder if they had eyes to roll. _"It always is"._

_"Don't be alone with that one, don't trust it"._

Oh just shut up already, you were strung high enough as it was without all of those assholes getting involved. Thankfully, having said their piece, they settled back into constant--but quiet, murmuring. 

 "Hey", you weren't going to lie, that greeting made you jump half out your skin. Mostly because you hadn't been paying attention, so the hand that was now waving in your face had more than taken you out by surprise. As you yelped, the hand jerked back, before retreating altogether. Or, it tried to, but you'd unconsciously latched into it in your surprise. But you didn't regret doing it, you felt rude enough as it was, so at least this way you were kinda responding in a better manner? Probably? At this point you'd already abandoned all sense of dignity anyway, so at least this way you'd come across as repentant. 

 "S-sorry--I wasn't, paying attention!" you squeaked as you vigorously shook the hand in your grasp with both hands. Eyes squeezed shut tightly as you braced yourself for the awkward situation you'd created for yourself. "It's nice to meet you". 

 "Pfft--" you heard the voice snort, and only then was it you gathered the courage to open an eye to peek at the new arrival. Though what met your eyes was a familiar looking face. Another skeleton, with a ridiculously strong resemblance of Papyrus, only much, much more tired looking. Deep, dark bags under his eyesockets, and his face was entirely neutral looking, void of the beaming grin that seemed plastered to Papyrus's face. Still, he looked relatively soft even despite his weary, washed out look. 

 You wondered then, if maybe all the skeletons were related somehow. Maybe they were twins? Or something? Sure the odds of two pairs of identical twins is a bit of a stretch, but maybe it's a monster thing? Or just a skeleton thing? You know what--you didn't even care anymore. 

 Still, the newcomer, far from seeming upset, just kinda frozen for a moment. Looking torn between wanting to laugh, and trying to be polite, and his eyes kept darting between you and Blue, who in turn seemed to be shooting the taller skeleton a warning glare. Which didn't really work on his face, it just made him look... Like a grumpy marshmallow.

 Apparently though that's all it took for the taller monster to break. And he broke into abrupt, high pitched laughter, a hearty guffaw that didn't quite match what (very little) you'd already heard of his voice. 

That was a good thing, you thought. Laughing was better than outright hate, so you were considering it a win. 

 Soon enough, he calmed down enough to get a proper sentence out. "W-pff-well, nice to meet ya--snrk--hold on--", he took a deep calming breath, only to snort it out again. Dissolving into another fit of giggles at your expense. It hadn't been that funny, this guy was apparently very easily amused. That, or he was a prick. 

 This time, when he straightened, his shoulders were no longer quivering with mirth. "Right, nice to meet you, I'm guessing your are the new... Maid?" he greeted, though it ended sounding more like a question. And he was visibly cringing at his own words. He rubbed the back of his thin, bony neck before he spoke again, uncomfortable. The sound of bone rubbing against bone reminded you much of the sound wooden wind chimes made in a light breeze. "There's gotta be a less creepy name to call you..." he murmured more to himself than to you, before shrugging it off entirely, resuming that very laid back posture that fit... Everything about him, like a glove. If anyone wanted the literal definition of 'complacent', there'd be a picture of this guy right there in the dictionary. Even his voice was resigned, a lazy slur, as if even forming the proper sound was such an impossible effort. 

 "I'm Papyrus" he said. 

Of course. 

 This was getting very confusing, very quickly. Two Sans's, you could deal with, weird coincidence mind, but you could get behind that. But two Papyrus's as well? And to top it off the two identical pairs of skeletons on top of it? Really, it was getting ridiculous! Even their personalities matched--sorta, only reversed? Ish. Whatever it made sense to you. Not really--screw it. 

 "Papyrus...? Like...", you squinted your eyes and jabbed a thumb towards the red scarfed skeleton, "Papyrus?". 

 Nobody reacted, at least not in the way you'd have hoped anyway. They all just looked puzzled, as if they couldn't understand what you were confused about. Great, just great. 

 _"Maybe you should just start packing now, girl"._ You were honestly starting to consider that. 

 "Yeah...?" Papyrus slowly nodded, and all you could do was just stand there. Looking between the two with exasperation you'd never even believed yourself capable of. Indifference and apathy was your whole thing when it came to strangers you didn't have any intention of knowing. But for some reason, with these guys, even if they were just your employers, you couldn't help but get involved. Or rather, they were getting involved with you. 

 "Just--you both have the same name, it'll get a bit confusing?", after a moment of consideration, you added, "For me". All skeletons seemed entirely perplexed, but Sans, surprisingly, bobbed his head. 

 "So do they" the new Papyrus pointed an accusatory finger towards the Sans's. "But you don't have a problem with that?". 

 Oh shoot. Do you tell them about your impromptu nicknaming thing, or was that something better left untouched? How would you feel if a stranger gave you a silly nickname out of the blue? Well. You, wouldn't... Care--but would other people? Better to be safe than sorry. 

 "Please don't put words in my mouth, I meant both of you", shit, had that been rude? 

  _"She's quite the mouth on her today, hasn't she?"._ Oh for the love of god piss off! Why couldn't any of you bastards say anything useful for once?! 

 Much to your relief, Papyrus just smirked at that, raising his arms lazily in surrender. "Alright, guess it is kinda weird for an outsider" he conceded, but there was something really unhelpful in the way he shoved his hands back into his jacket. 

And that was it. 

He didn't say anything else. 

Nothing more to contribute. 

... Fuck that skeleton. 

 "Never mind" is what you ended up saying, despite having a whole choice phrases to say otherwise. But you guessed it didn't matter, you could just call him a really silly name in secret as petty revenge. 

 For once, you faceless assholes will come in handy, any suggestions? Was all you could think, and you were quickly rewarded. 

 _"Rude."_ you heard a voice hiss in protest, heh, that's rich. 

 "I'm Julia" you said by way of introduction. And Papyrus nodded curtly, a very half-assed grin stretching his. Well. Not lips. Teeth? Yes teeth. 

 "Yeah, my bro' had a lot to say 'bout you", you couldn't tell if that was good or not. But Blue provided that answer for you in the form of a very enthusiastic thumbs-up. Papyrus smiled fondly at that. Yeah. Blue wasn't the most discreet in the way he went about things. You supposed you should be flattered though. It was actually pretty nice to know Blue thought well of you. Then again, him and Papyrus seemed like the kinds of people who liked everyone, regardless of--anything really. They were just so loveable, and vice versa, too good for the world and shit, only you meant it literally. Even if their whole approach was a bit too full on for your comfort. 

 "Yeah, I've heard a lot of _interesting_ things about you". Okay, that sounded significantly less nice. Was it just you, or was the room shaking? No, it was just you, more specifically it was just you trembling. Wow, it suddenly got very cold in here. 

 Well. At least this guy seemed a bit more... Docile, than Sans, and technically this one hadn't explicitly made any hostility clear. So, you much preferred this guy. 

 But one thing was really bugging you. And had been since the moment this guy walked through the door. 

 The room smelled... Sweet, all of a sudden. You couldn't even place it, it was just there. Like the kind of smell you'd get in a sweet shop, like when you were a kid. You'd been really short so your face had been really close to all the stock, so you'd got a good whiff of all that good stuff. Like sugary heaven, only the aroma seemed to be following this new Papyrus around, as though it was clinging to him like some sort of smog. Only much more pleasant. 

 "Is that perfume?" you ended up saying, by accident of course. But for some reason, this time you weren't totally thrown off by your own words, and you were able to quite smoothly add, "You smell nice". 

 Despite your attention being solely directed towards Papyrus. It was none other than Blue who answered you, groaning dramatically before he could get a word out to answer. You turned quite obliviously to the uncharacteristically weary looking skeletons plight, and even the more energetic of the two Papyrus's joined in with his upset. "THAT'S BECAUSE ALL HE EVER EATS IS UNHEALTHY JUNK", they both complained in unison, and you couldn't help but note Papyrus throwing a less than pleased glance towards his brother, who had at some point migrated to the sofa, and had sprawled across it in a 'draw-me-like-one-of-your-French-girls' fashion. With his wrist resting casually on the top of his kneecap. He looked comfortable. But when had he moved there? Without you hearing a peep? This guy was strange in all sorts of places, and people called you weird? Then again, they probably called him weird too, Hayley had mentioned something about monster persecution being a problem now. Huh, a new minority to kick into the dirt was always sure to get the public's attention. You wondered were you now fell in that structured hierarchy. Probably still low, otherwise you wouldn't have to worry about people giving you shit just for being--not like them, whenever you left the house. 

 Speaking of that. This was your new house, kind of an upgrade in the size department. You'd have never been able to afford to live in a set up like this before, these monsters must be rolling in it. Maybe it had something to do with them coming from the mountain? 

 "--STILL, A NUTRITIONAL DIET IS KEY TO GOOD HEALTH" Papyrus was arguing as you slid back into focus, with Blue nodding along wisely beside him. Arms crossed and head down, it looked strange on him. Like something straight out of an anime. Maybe that was what he was trying to imitate?

"No, you're right bro" Sans reluctantly agreed, huffing and slumping in defeat. A remorseful expression plastering itself across his face. Papyrus and Blue's Jaws both dropped to the floor. As if they honestly couldn't believe what they were hearing. 

 "Junk food really is _rubbish_ ". 

 You'd really underestimated how loud those two skeletons could shriek. And you'd thought their inside voices were loud. Boy, those two were insane! How did something with no lungs and or vocal chords _scream_ that loud? 

 Meanwhile, both the sweet-toothed Papyrus and Sans were giving one another such a smug look. And Papyrus was just kinda nodding, like in approval, you were surprised he didn't do that slow clapping thing, just remained there trying not to snort. 

 You wish it had been that easy for you. What can you say? You hadn't expected it, and you were pretty on edge. It just got to you, and the wordplay was so clever, you couldn't help yourself. And you let out the most ungrateful snorting sound you'd ever produced in your entire life. 

 Papyrus just looked at you as if you'd betrayed his great ancestors. "HUMAN JULIA! DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!". 

 Was it just you, or, past Blue stomping his feet in fury, was that new Papyrus eyeing you with a whole new look? 

 You know what? You'd had enough of this for one day. You were going to bed to recover from all this socializing. God, your were exhausted! All this was really draining, honestly, feeling this fricking walking on egg shells kinda feel was really getting to you, and your nerves. What the hell had you signed yourself up for? You chose this job because of the whole 'should be seen and not heard thing' attitude about the help. Why was it that this position seemed intent on making this place the entire opposite to that? Was it so much to ask that people just let you do you and be left alone? Seriously, that's all people had wanted for you before, why was that changing on its head now of all times? 

 After apologizing once more, and finishing off the introduction pleasantries, you excused yourself for the night. Even though Blue and Papyrus tried to coax you into staying up a little while longer. You were adamant that you were exhausted--which you were, and that seemed enough to keep the two from practically dragging you over to sit by them for just one more movie. Though Blue made no effort to hide his disappointment, Papyrus happily saw you off to your room with a smile way too bright for this time of night. And wished you a good night, before rushing off to join everyone by the TV to watch what looked like something pink and shiny. Yeah. You didn't put much effort into inspecting what they were hooting over. 

 It felt like you could finally breathe right when you shut the door against the rest of the house. Like stepping through an invisible barrier against all your troubles, it was calmer there. Even with the dangerous whispering continuing their lull just beyond your hearing. There were no mirrors, and you shut the window before dark, as well as the curtains. Good, nothing had been let in, and since you'd locked it before dusk fell, nothing was trapped in here with you for the night.

 Satisfied that you were as safe as you could be for the evening, you set about unpacking your things and placing them about your room. It was generously built, larger than you were used to. It made you feel a little exposed, but otherwise it was a welcomed bonus. And there were already a few shelves set up for your knickknacks and thingiemaboppers. It was also completely blank, save for a simple bed with white covers, and a large dresser sat just under the window. You guessed maybe they'd cleared everything out for you to do what you wanted with it. You couldn't find a speck of dust either, so you presumed that perhaps whoever had cleared it out had cleaned too while they were at it. No prize to guess which pair of skeletons you owed that too. 

 Thankful you had one less job to attend to, you finished stacking your clothing into neat piles inside of the drawers. You'd already folded them to shut them away in the suitcases, so that job was over very quickly. So quickly in fact, that after roughly fifteen minutes of fiddling about, you were stuffing the empty suitcases under the bed. And then began setting about setting your art gear up. Battered easel being pitched up beside the dresser, so that canvases would be facing the the window. And you'd be able to take advantage of that daylight when you had the opportunity to mess around. Your toolbox sat right underneath, loaded with all the equipment and paint you could ever dream of needing. The toolbox itself needed a good scrubbing, a good  scrubbing that you never actually got around to doing. Not that you were gonna lose much sleep over that. It would only get filthy again the next time you used it, so skipping that endless job wasn't entirely upsetting. 

 That being said, you could still hear the skeletons downstairs. A rowdy crowd, evidently, going by their occasional outbreak of screeching. Of excitement or otherwise you couldn't really tell, but the laughter that quickly followed, you were assuming the former. In a way, you couldn't deny it made you feel a little lonely, in a way. Not a feeling you were very used to. You liked your privacy, and your alone time. So the almost sad feeling that clenched at your chest for a mere moment took you by surprise. Why would you care? Being around people just made you anxious, like you couldn't ever relax. Why would you ache for that company at all? 

Must be the exhaustion of moving. The new environment was throwing you for a loop. You weren't very accustomed to chance, or fond of it. You must be more tired than you realized. 

Yeah. That must be it. 

 Regardless of the new environment though, old noises were also beginning to creep up on you. As frightening as the familiar sounds were, the fact they were something you were more used to offered the slightest bit of comfort. Which was actually quite ironic, since if you'd been asked a week ago if you could magic them away. You've accepted in a heartbeat. Funny how change can _change_ things. 

 Now that darkness had fallen outside, things had begun to show up. The night shift crew of terrors really, special in the sense that they were the only creatures that bothered you as consistently as they did. Never failing to appear when the day had bled away, so much so that you almost relied on their appearance as religiously as clockwork. 

 Right in cue, the window suddenly shook in its frame. Glass rattling threateningly, as it always did, but you still flinched. Knowing better than to look in its direction, you kept your back turned from the sound, ignoring the instant tapping, the blood curdling wailing. Like children crying in some sort of twisted chorus. You knew not to look. Because you knew what you'd see. And you knew that acknowledging _it_ would just make it worse. 

 Without breaking much in stride, you carried on with your nightly routine. The new surroundings threw your momentum off, but it was of little consequence. You were just returning from the bathroom after brushing your teeth and washing your face when you noticed a figure in front of your door, in fact. Only thankfully (perhaps?), this one was very real. And it turned to face you as you approached, glass in your hand. Hopefully, this new Papyrus wouldn't keep you too long, you needed to take your meds. 

 He offered you that same insincere grin as he waved a lazy hand in your direction. Seeming relieved he didn't have to mull by your door any longer, it looked as though he'd been struggling to find a good way of getting your attention. Your arrival had apparently relieved him of the burden of knocking. Still, the way he stood was... Awkward. Maybe even bashful. 

 You waited patiently for him to state his business. You were actually curious as to why he'd sought you out after you'd retreated already for the night. And although his grin was just as false as your own, it wasn't unkind. Just... Tired. 

 "Hey" he lamely greeted. And his voice cracked a little, going very high for a moment, and he seemed to inwardly cringe at that. Shaking it off though, he continued, stronger now. "Just wanted to welcome ya'again, it's nice to see a new face". 

 You supposed it was good you'd ran into him out in the hallway. You'd have hesitated opening the door to anyone so late in the evening. You'd prefer not to open the door to something less pleasant and end up having to flee from your sleeping quarters. You doubted locking yourself in the bathroom would go as well here as easily as it did back at you previous home. 

 "T-thank you, I appreciate that" you quietly responded, as politely as you could. Wow this skeletons was tall, you hadn't noticed when you'd been downstairs, the room had been quite large. Now the hall was so confined, and you were forced closer than you'd like. It was hard not to feel intimidated with a pair of eyes looming so high above you. "... Was that all?". 

 Something in the way Papyrus was standing made him look--uncomfortable,  "Y'know you don't hafta be so formal with us, this is your home too now". 

 Well how else were you supposed to be? You didn't know how else to interact! You can't just spring that kind of thing on someone--or can you? Well, let's face it, you didn't know left from right in this kind of situation. The only person you could generally speak casually with was... Hayley. 

... Huh. 

Now there was a thought. Treat them, like Hayley? 

How _did_ you treat Hayley anyway? Frick. 

 "A-alright, sure?" you managed a little lamely. Really you were just trying to not flounder in front of your new housemate, or boss, both really. As much as you hated the feeling of being expected to behave like the social norm, you felt uncomfortable acting any other way before strangers. They tended to give you the most awful looks when you did.

 "I g-guess you could say I'm a little _rattled_ living in a house full of strangers". Humour was good right? You joked with Hayley a lot, so that was a safe bet to try right? 

 No reaction. Other than maybe Papyrus raising a questioning brow bone. 

 You tried again. "I guess that didn't tickle your funny bone? I've been told my Sans if femur is a little--", his face changed completely as the pun registered, and you panicked mid-sentence. "--I'm s-sorry I didn't mean--I wasn't thinki--that was so _rude_ of me". 

 Why had you thought that was a good idea?! That was so racist of you to fucking say, why had you opened your stupid mouth without even considering his point of view? You didn't even understand other humans never mind what could upset a walking, talking skeleto--

 Your thoughts were quickly put on the dryer when you heard it. Papyrus, who had at some point while you hadn't been paying attention, thrown his head forwards, so that he was standing in more of a crouch. Shoulders quaking as he giggled fitfully, a bony hand covering his face as he was overtaken by mirth. 

 Was laughter a good sign? Or should you just throw yourself out of the window right now and be done with it? 

 It took a full three minute for Papyrus to laugh himself out. And he finally straightened to his full height again, still blowing out wheezing giggles as he calmed himself down. But he seemed to sober immediately after taking a proper look at you, apparently taking due notice of how you'd been shrinking away from him. 

 The smile died on his face at that. And there was something both sad, and a little upset at the way hiss face hardened. 

 Unlike Sans though, this skeleton didn't pussyfoot around the issue. 

 "Human" he said in a voice like steel. Though his voice was quiet, the sound was almost deafening in the gloomy hallway. But it was measured, and calm, but that didn't make you feel any better. 

 Unlike the other Papyrus, from his lips, the term 'Human' felt more like an insult. And a biting one at that. Worse than anything the whispers had ever hissed in your ears over the years. And it made you shudder with a feeling of being the filthiest creature alive. 

 "Do I scare you?" he asked simply. The malice in his voice was suddenly... Nit gone. But...less there now he just sounded tired beyond his years. 

What a strange question. You weren't sure how to answer that.

Still, you saw no reason to lie. 

 "Yeah" you carefully admitted. And Papyrus for some reason almost seemed to deflate in defeat at that. But you weren't finished, so you kept speaking. 

 That seemed to take Papyrus by surprise. "All strangers do, I don't mean it, I'm not good with people". 

 "Not because I'm a monster?"  Papyrus almost looked afraid to hear the answer to that. 

 You didn't really understand why. In fact you didn't understand at all. And you couldn't help but squint your eye at him, completely baffled. What did that have to do with anything? You understand that monster and human relations weren't that good from what little you'd heard (which wasn't a lot), but what that had to do with you had you spinning. Was this just him being considerate? 

 "No?", Papyrus's eyesockets widened a fraction, "I mean it's different, but that's about it". You weren't lying, it was weird to talk to people that looked like they do and not be called crazy for it. Not a pleasant experience in your experience. But you didn't really see why he'd think you cared much, why would you be working for monsters if you were going to get funny about it? 

 You only noticed the change because it was so dramatic. You'd seen that he was tense, but you'd failed to realize just how tense he'd been until he just--let go. And suddenly he was smiling--rely smiling at you. A boyish kind of lopsided grin that looked more like relief than anything, but for some reason it made you feel relieved too. The kind of feeling you get when a teacher asks you a really hard question in front on the class and you answer correctly. 

 "... Is that bad?" you timidly asked, and he kind of shook his head as though waking up from a daze. 

"No, just, I thought...", he looked conflicted a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly, apparently deciding it didn't matter. "It's fine" he breathed. 

 "Just... You haven't really said anything yet... And it's late...". 

 This snapped the skeleton out of it. Much happier than he'd been in the few hours you'd known him, he easily flashed you a friendly kind of expression. Before jolting to move towards the stairs, turning to face you again just before he rounded the corner. 

 "Sorry for keeping ya so late, it's really nice to have ya with us" he chuckled, "Night". 

 And with the that, the skeleton disappeared around the corner. Leaving you standing there in the dimly lit hallway, wondering what had just happened. And whether or not you should be concerned about that new skeleton, his odd interrogation, and his equally hard to read friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SANS IS STILL BEING A GRUMP, gotta love misunderstandings, right? Totally awesome. Fun. Yeaaahhhh...  
>  Anyway, now that we have two San's AND two Papyrus's, things are getting perfectly confusing now for Julia. Soon enough though this situation will have to sort itself out.  
> Maybe.   
> Really, we have quite a lot of interesting little revelations to come in the near future. Perhaps maybe not in the next chapter. But one day, we'll have to get that juicy little insight into our timid protagonist. I have to wonder, what else could we possibly learn, hm? Maybe that a character is not defined by their situations. In that sense, we actually know very little of Julia, don't you think?


	6. What Better Way to Start The Day Than With Breakfast?

 Waking up in a strange room had made the start to your day a lot more distressing than you'd as otherwise preferred, but after the initial panic and vision of kidnapping and flesh-suits faded. You were more or less about as comfortable as you were going to get in this unfamiliar home. 

It took you a moment to register where you were when your eyes first cracked open with an audible peeling sound. Sleep had glued your eyelids together, so you'd felt the tug at your skin before they parted.

 The bed springs creaked noisily under your weight as you shifted. Pulse still racing from the second long terror as your eyes adjusted to the soft morning glow that somehow still managed to burn at your iris's. 

 "She's waking up"     "Sorry sod, get up!" 

              "Lazy girl" 

 Oh great. They had begun pretty early this morning. How pleasant, just peachy. You felt your mouth fall into a grimace even as your forearm came up to block out the light. Wanting nothing more than to simply roll back over away into the arms of unconsciousness. 

That didn't happen. 

 With a stiff sigh, you instead forced your tired body upright, noodly arms struggling to push your torso into a sitting position. You glanced briefly at the alarm clock at your bedside, the harsh glare of its light reading that you'd woken up at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. And even despite the fact that you'd still slept a good six hours, undisturbed, you still felt exhausted, to the point you felt ready to collapse back and let gravity do its work. But you knew that trying to get back to sleep would be impossible now, what with the background noise and now being completely unaided by the sedative effect of your cocktail of drugs. You'd pretty much lost track of all of their names at this point, and Hayley had taken notice. So, she'd taken the liberty of having your meds packaged into conveniently labeled cardboard and plastic cases. One for mornings, and one for evenings, with days of the week helpfully pasted on the tear-able lids to help you keep track. Knowing that if she didn't, you'd likely forget to take them altogether. 

 Even still, you even now often missed a day or two a week. Funny, right? How even strict daily happenings so rooted into your routine could simply be forgotten even now.

 Well, not today. After quickly dressing yourself in ax simple pair of jeans and a way too over-sized green jumper. You attacked the mess of tangles your hair had managed to knot itself into before carefully sneaking downstairs. Pills in hand, heading towards the kitchen. You were up early sure, but you were sorta these monsters maid now, right? So you figured cooking was part of course for the job, so why not start with breakfast? That would be a good start to your new career right? 

 Now, you had never been ax morning person. Or a day person. The best work you did was always done at three in the morning after two days of little to no sleep and extreme pressure. So this whole 'getting up before noon' will definitely take some getting used too. So, as you dizzy stumbled through the living room, into the kitchenette, you were very much alarmed and very much taken aback by the two skeletons already up, awake and making a racket in there. Pulling pots, pans and a multitude of other bit and bobs from various cupboards and drawers, humming energetically as they went. 

 Didn't these two ever run out of energy? Where did they keep it all? Cuz you wanted in. 

 Thankfully, you managed to correct your dropped jaw just in time, as it was that exact moment in time that Papyrus finally seemed to take note of your presence. Just kinda standing there, pills in hand like a deer in headlights, and a messy ponytail to top of the groggy morning picture. 

 Oh sweet jesus you just remembered Papyrus's indoor voi--

"AH! HUMAN JULIA, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AWAKE!" came the skeletons booming voice to your delicate just-woken-up eardrums. And you fought the urge to wince at the volume, pointedly ignoring the chorus of cackling voices echoing from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. At the same time, wondering that if the other two skeletons weren't anywhere to be seen, how on earth they were managing to sleep through this hullabaloo. 

Then again, how had you? Maybe these to had actually been responsible for your early awakening.

 Never mind. That wasn't really important now. You were tired, but you still managed a wobbly smile, to which the skeleton returned in full. While Blueberry, who had been fiddling with a large carton of eggs, turned to face you both as well. Greeting you with just as much enthusiasm, to which you croaked out a pathetic sounding "Morning". 

 It was Blue who spoke next, to your surprise. Not that you considered him any less talkative, it's just you would have been a lot more focused on balancing all those stacks of classes and bowls on top on eachother and that carton of eggs rather than socializing. But he seemed completely unperturbed by the heavily teetering tower, all you could do was cringe every time it teetered a bit too far. Feeling nervous in his place. 

 "IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU UP SO EARLY IN THE DAY, PAPPY TAKES FOREVER TO GET UP" he half praised and half complained. While Papyrus in turn nodded wisely in agreement. "INDEED, MY SANS ALWAYS SLEEPS LATE", he said, mouth somehow contorted into a frown, "AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HIS--" 

"SOCKS", they both grimaced in unison. Before groaning together in a shared suffering, before getting on with their business. 

 "SO, HUMAN JULIA" Papyrus began as he began pulling out ingredients from the fridge, tomatoes and bell peppers. And then pasta from the pantry, and you frowned a moment. 

Maybe he was making a lunchbox or something? Surely he wasn't seriously gonna eat pasta for breakfast.

 Ignoring his strange choice for ingredients, you forced your eyes to meet his eyesockets. Damn, you'd always had trouble with meeting other people's gaze. You suppose you'll just have to get used to it.  "Well yeah, I-I umm, woke up earlier than usual s-so I decides to start making breakfast". 

 For some reason, this seemed to really excite the two skeletons. 

 "AH, WELL FEAR NOT, HUMAN JULIA--FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALREADY IN THE MIDST OF PREPARING A GLORIOUS WELCOMING MEAL TO COMMEMORATE YOUR ARRIVAL" he announced proudly, leaving you to stare just a little more.. Concernedly at the ingredients he was now setting about on the chopping board. Having literally just thrown the pasta, and the box it was in, straight into a pot of simmering water. 

 You should probably intervene. And fast. 

"Uh-uhhh but isn't this part of my job? I wouldn't be doing it right if i let you do all the work" you managed to splutter after a moments thought. But Papyrus was quick to shut you down, "NONSENSE, AS OUR NEW HOUSEMATE IT WOULD BE IMPROPER NOT TO PROPERLY WELCOME YOU INTO THE HOME" was his argument. 

 Until Blue decided to chip in. A look of slight concern marring his usually grinning face. 

 "B-BUT _, I'M_ MAKING THE HUMAN WELCOMING TACOS" He said a bit challengingly, stepping forwards determinedly whilst the smile died on Papyrus's face. He looked conflicted about something, but you could sense the tension in the air was growing, as neither of them spoke. Having a silent stand off, whilst locking eyesockets with hard set jaws. 

 Quick. Think of something! Break the tension--somehow. Oh god you weren't cut out for this shit! 

 "W-well" you timidly began, both skeletons now reluctantly breaking their gaze, to stare curiously at you. The crackling static in the air still hadn't dissipated, but it was no longer as looming as before. "Why don't we all prepare breakfast together? L-like, uh, a bonding exercise? It could be fun?". 

 Both of their faces lit up at the idea. 

"MAGNIFICENT!" Sans squealed. 

"GREAT IDEA HUMAN" Papyrus praised with equal reverie. 

"WE CAN ALL MAKE SPAGHETTI TOGETHER!" he nodded happily. 

 Blue's frown returned. "DON'T YOU MEAN WE'LL MAKE TACOS TOGETHER?" he asked, looking upset again. Once more, the two locked eyes with one another. Neither prepared to back down on their chosen dish. 

Shit. 

Now what? 

... Wait a minute. "Um, guys?" you interrupted. "I think I might have an idea".

 

Roughly two hours later, you heard two pairs of footsteps making their way down the staircase. A blessed relief, cuz what an eventful two hours that had been. 

 First off, none of those two had a goddamn clue what the heck they were doing cooking wise. Like, at all. You weren't even exaggerating. They were like two mini T-Rex's of destruction on steroids in there, and you'd been run ragged keeping tabs on both of them at every turn. Insisting that glitter, was in fact, not a cooking ingredient, and preventing both skeletons that spaghetti sauce was not actually prepared by punching the shit out of the vegetables. Of course, you'd had to explain that, _after_ both had already sent the tomatoes splattering against the walls, you, themselves and the table. 

 Heck, Papyrus had even managed to over and under cook the noodles at the same time. Resulting in a half crispy, half congealed mess of gelatinous noodles that came out of the pot all at once like a set jelly, retaining a cylindrical shape as it came out. 

 The taco shells had thankfully already been prepared in a small prepackaged box, much to Blue's disappointment. But he'd quickly cheered up once you put him in charge of prepping the meatballs, giving him extremely and totally unnecessary but apparently necessary instructions along the way, while you rescued what you could off the table for the sauce. Managing to turn it into a reasonably attractive looking mix after chucking in some canned chopped tomatoes, since all the fresh ones had already been smashed. With their skins on too. But after giving it a quick blitz in the food processor, and adding a few spices, you had to admit. It smelled reasonably good. 

 It was definitely a relief to see Sans and the other Papyrus as they entered the room though. You made a quiet note to yourself at the look of relative surprise as they came into sight. Like they'd previously expected to come down to some sort of wreckage. 

... Now that you thought about it. You actually could imagine that being a totally legitimate response. 

 Frazzled and slightly traumatized by your fight to keep the kitchen being demolished by a pair of two way too energetic bags of bones, you actually momentarily dismissed your usual shyness. Opting instead to quietly approach Papyrus, who gave you a lazy "Sup?", which quickly evolved mid-speech into a surprised yelp. As you latched your hands around the scuff of his hoodie (which looked to be the same one you'd seen him wearing last night) and yanked him down to your level. Had he had one, you would have been nose to nose. 

 "Why didn't you warn me?" you hissed in a betrayed whisper, which seemed to calm the alarmed monster down. And you watched in dissatisfaction as the wobbly frown on his face morphed into the smuggest, shit eating grin you'd ever seen. Evidently amused at your expense. The only response you got was a sheepish shrug, and a wink. 

 You chose to ignore the sneer Sans shot instead as he passed you. And all of as sudden, you noted a look of dull realization dawn on Papyrus's face as he haphazardly took a seat beside you at the dining table. Sans sitting just across from him, but the troubled expression vanished at the sound of Blue and the other Papyrus's arrival. Brandishing two large serving platters of food between them, and setting them down with a dramatic flourish. 

 "PAPY, YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT THE HUMAN DID WITH US THIS MORNING!" Blue beamed as he rounded the table, pulling up a chair beside his brother. Using it as a surface to kneel up on before shaking the poor guy silly. 

 In between shakes, he said in a humoring and practiced patient voice, "Yer right, guess you'll just have to tell me huh?". 

 "IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IDEA" Papyrus added as he chose, much to you surprise, to pull up a chair by your side. You practically felt Sans seething across the table at you, masked behind a thin veil of a way too tight smile. You couldn't help but shudder, but thankfully it went completely unnoticed by Papyrus. 

 "YOU SEE, BLUE AND I HAD BEEN STRUGGLING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BOTH OF OUR AMAZING CULINARY MASTERPIECES" Papyrus began. 

 "BUT THE HUMAN FIGURED OUT A WAY TO USE BOTH! AT THE SAME TIME!" Blue continued, patting the table much like you'd imagine an overexcited toddler would. He was practically vibrating with giddiness. 

 "Oh?" Sans lazily questioned, but there was no hiding the grim anticipation in his tone or on his face. How neither skeletons noticed it, you had no idea. But if you'd thought the glares he'd been sending you earlier were chilling. Now his scowl could've frozen you solid. 

 "Y-yeah, it was n-nothing really, these two are just such good cooks, I couldn't let either of their talent go to waste" you praised, even though you knew you were lying to their faces. The way they puffed up in response made you feel warm. 

 Man, you were growing real fond of these two goobs real quick. Maybe that's just what total social isolation did to a person? Latching on to the few people that showed kindness? Either way, although you had your issues about their complete lack of disregard for your ears, you found yourself smiling fondly at the two nevertheless. 

 Change had never been something you'd enjoyed. But maybe some changes were actually not so bad. 

Your good mood wouldn't last, but you'd enjoy the high while it lasted. 

 Despite how Sans was still leering at you, he seemed to enjoy the delight in his brothers face. But the fact you'd put it there just seemed to irk the skeleton monster a little even so. But more than that--both he and Blue's Papyrus both seemed to be staring with morbid anticipation at the presented platters. 

 "S-so, what's this bro?" Sans managed to sputter, but less in an 'I cant wait to put that in my face' way, and more like a 'I'm literally dreading the next half hour of my life because of that' way. 

 "Understandable" one of the voiced conceded, and for a moment you had to swallow the snort that it's little comment elicited. Geez, what kinda stuff did these guys get up to unsupervised?

 "MAY WE PRESENT--" Papyrus boomed grandly. 

 "SPAGHETTI TACOS!" Blue trilled with just as much oomph, (and almost knocking Papy over in the process). 

 You'll be the first to admit that what was on the plate didn't look like the most appetizing of specimens you could've offered for your employers first meal of the day--that was also your first day in their care. But you felt pretty accomplished still considering. But you were wary of what the two more level headed of the skeletons would have to say about this disaster of a breakfast. 

 Imagine your surprise to find that the tired twosome actually seemed pleased. 

 Even Sans was giving you a reluctant look of approval.

 As the other three dug in, Papy was very discrete in his action of pulling you down a little to avoid prying ears...not that skeletons had ears in the first place. Giving you a deadly serious look as he eyed you with something you could only read as the utmost of respect.

 "Be serious with me kid--how did you--", unable to find words, he resorted to roughly gesturing to the platter. 

 You understood. That question didn't need words. 

"My morning has been scarring, traumatic, and I'm probably going to have to do it all again aren't I?".

 "They take cooking as seriously as they take training bucko" was Papy's answer. 

 "So a lot then?". 

He scoffed. Taking a bite out of his taco before continuing with his mouth full. Still managing to sound perfectly if not a bit muffled, coherent. "Try every damn mealtime for the rest of your stay". 

 You felt yourself pale a bit at the thought. "Oh no". 

A pat to your back brought you back to reality. "Lighten up bud, reckon ya handed em pretty well today, we still have a kitchen and it's already eight" Papy praised. "New record". 

 Even despite the cocktail of nervous energy and awkwardness that was your psyche, you still scoffed sourly at his response. Earning a good natured chuckle from the monster beside you. 

 "Heh. Fun, do I win a prize?". 

 "Yeah, more kitchen adventures and a slight risk of endangerment to your person by fire and or explosives". 

 You half snorted around the rim of your glass, murmuring a quiet, "Lovely", before taking a large mouthful of by now lukewarm water. Before gulping down your pills, grimacing as you felt them rising back up your throat, as if in complaint. Why did that always happen? Swallowing again quickly remedied the situation, but you still felt the nausea of something clinging to the back of your throat. 

 You didn't have the chance to dwell on it, however. As it seemed your little display had gained an audience.

 "HUMAN, WHAT ARE THOSE FUNNY LOOKING CANDIES FOR?" Blue probed all of a sudden, startling you from the bubble of relative social serenity you'd sunk yourself into. Now, with the spotlight very suddenly turned on you, you felt the anxiety of social interaction sink very much back into place. 

 Candies? What did he mean by that? Was he talking about your pills? You had to assume so, so with a questioning frown, you forced your gaze to face the small skeleton. Not quite managing to meet hi eyes, instead settling on the bridge of his nasal cavity. 

 "These are medicine, actually" you gently corrected the curious monster. And you watched the realization dawn on him, as he made a soft oohing sound. 

 "Medicine huh? What's it for? Ya sick?" Papy chimed in, and it suddenly occurred to you that he probably hadn't heard all that much about you compared to the other skeletons. He hadn't met Hayley after all--you made a mental note of asking her to handle any of their future questions about your condition though. You weren't exactly all that comfortable talking about all of your shortcomings to other people. It was embarrassing, even at the best of times, no matter how much Hayley insisted there was nothing to be ashamed about.

 "I g-guess you could say that, but I don't think it's in the w-way you're imagining" you answered as evenly as you were able. But the questioning look that you earned from the entire table promoted you to elaborate. All looking just as equally confused as the other. 

 You had to fight the urge to sigh. That would've been rude, but you really didn't feel like talking about this stuff so early in the morning. 

 "L-like, it's not that I have a cold or anything, it's more that my brain doesn't work like everyone else's", wow, explaining this was actually kinda hard, now that you were doing it. Especially considering all the monsters were beginning to look steadily more clueless a you went on. Was this just not a thing for monsters? 

 "It doesn't work properly. It happens a lot with humans I guess, there are lots of stuff that can go wrong, but the way mine is, is called Schizophrenia" you explained as patiently as you were able. "They don't call it that much though anymore, they call i psychosis ". 

 "Why's that?" Sans asked, looking a bit baffled. The look would've been comical if you didn't know the guy hated your guts. 

 "Because of the stigma, people hear 'Schizophrenia' and think 'Crazy nut-job serial killer', it scares people, especially when most people can't understand it, you guys probably know better than most how people freak out about what they don't really get". 

 It disturbed you how contemplative everyone suddenly became. A deafening silence consuming the table as they digested your words. And you worried that perhaps you'd been a bit too blunt in your wording.

 "So what is this schizo-frend-ia?" Papyrus finally piped up. Struggling to pronounce the foreign word, as if it were a slug sitting too heavily in his mouth. 

 "Schizophrenia", you corrected him, before moving on to try and explain how your reality differed to theirs. "It's like... I see an hear things that you can't see or hear, because it doesn't actually exist--but to me I can't really tell the difference if it's real or just a figment of my imagination". 

At the collective appalled look that was sent your way, you were quick to put them at ease. Feeling incredibly self conscious, face burning a brilliant red. 

 "I hear voices mostly, they're usually pretty... Negative, so I don't really like quiet places, since it's never really quiet for me. Too noisy either, since they'll just try to shout over it all" you tried to describe, knowing that whatever you could ever say, no words you had the ability to string together could ever really do what you experienced justice.

 "I s-still can't really believe you guys are a-all actually here to be honest with you" you half joked to hide your discomfort. But the chuckle that left you was not returned, and was only met with even more silence. The monsters clearly not understanding the depth of your... Problems, and how their existence played on your weaknesses. 

 "You're p-probably better asking Hayley about it all really, I'd say the internet too but, t-there's a lot of uneducated stigma on there too" you admitted, shifting in your seat uncomfortably as all the eyes on you bored into you like spyglasses. 

 "Heh, that sounds pretty rough human, gotta say, I never thought someone like you would have so many _like-minded_ people _inside_ you too" Sans prodded quite boldly, seeing as it was right in front of both Blue and Papyrus. You knew what he'd said was mean spirited, but you couldn't really... Pick out what the insult was. Like he was calling you an asshole, just like the voices. But not because _they_ were assholes, but you were an asshole and it was _they_ who where like _you_. 

 Opting for silence as the best step forwards, you decided you'd had enough of playing the headlining table act for the day. Retreating into your chair an shriveling up, making yourself as small as you could, scrunching up your shoulders around your ears. While Papyrus and Blue began chatting away at how different human and monsters were. While Papy seemed to be locked in some weird kind of stand off with Sans. The smaller of the two skeletons squinting his eyes questioningly at the lager's grim-set jaw. And for a moment you felt the table rattle a little, and you realized that Papy seemed to be trying to lick Sans from under the table. As if warning him to keep his mouth shut, whilst simultaneously managing to look very distressed in the process. 

 You appreciated that the kind monster might've been trying to stick up for you. You were pretty sure the others would've too, but they remained blissfully unaware of Sans's personal war against you. But you were to emotionally exhausted to thank him right then. Yeah, it was pathetic, but this was more actual social exposure in the past week than you'd had in the past few years combined. So yeah. Your tolerance was pretty much done for the while. 

 "WELL, WOWIE, WE MADE LOTS OF FRIENDS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!" you heard Papyrus and Blue boast, before you slowly allowed your hearing to shut down, focusing intently instead on recovering your stamina for the long day ahead. 

Heh. Trust those two to find a nice conclusion to a less nice situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny bit of insight to Julia's head. Sneak preview I guess you could say. But I can promise much excitement in the next chapter. Ohoho yes, so stay tuned--shits gonna go down.  
>  So yeah. Not really much to say about this chapter really, but I'd sure like to hear what you guys have to say. So why not leave a comment? Or a kudos if you're feeling especially entertained.  
>  Welp, thanks for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed!  
>  Till next time~
> 
> P.S. Quick shout-out to Midnight for giving me so much support, cheers for reading bud!


	7. Not Getting Any Better

 "C-can I come with you?" 

You'd just finished your duties for the day, those that you could find anyway--not that there were many to begin with. You don't know exactly why the Skeletons felt the need for your services seeing as their home was already fucking spotless. Like, seriously, you were starting to feel like some sort of ornament rather than any actual functional help of any value for all the good you were doing. So far the most you'd done was help prepare breakfast (which, you might add for what it was worth, was a job of immeasurable difficult and challenge all on its own), clean up after said breakfast, and clean up here and there after the two less... Active, of the brothers. 

Also, you'd tried to clean away two mysterious mountains of socks decorated with an abundance of sticky notes of various colors, only to be stopped before you'd even started by an entirely too smug looking Papyrus. Who, when you'd asked why, had simply grinned wider, shook his head, and walked away chuckling. 

Of course you'd been so puzzled by the experience to notice the smile falling flat on his face once he had his back turned to you. Marching purposefully in the direction of a certain other lazy skeletons room with a sort of grim anticipation. 

He emerged again a short time later, looking like he really needed a good nap. Walking agitatedly and barely nodding as he passed you, reaching into the pocket of a disheveled looking orange hoodie for an even more crumpled looking packet of cigarettes. Pulling out a single cigarette with his teeth and disappearing outside just as you heard a lighter you hadn't seen drawn out click. 

 You were swift in crossing the no-man's-land of the living room, which you'd labeled as such the moment Sans had stepped inside to watch television whilst simultaneously glaring over your back. Bundling up to the two skeletons with a graceful trip, and an clumsier attempt at a save, as in your haste to avoid falling flat on your face, you instead managed to face plant straight into poor Papyrus. Who, ever the gentlemen, barely flinched under your weight, and gripped you gently by the shoulders to haul you upright. And once again, being so up close and personal with the giant, you were reminded just how tiny you were in comparison. 

At least Blue was a hell of a lot smaller in comparison, he made you feet a little less like you were about to be trampled. Geez, talking to the lot of you must kill both Papyrus' backs. You know talking to them did--well, it would have, if you'd been looking them in the eye anyway. Maybe the whole not-making-eye-contact had its perks after all. Ha, take that, every person who'd called you rude for it ever! Score one for you! 

 Both monsters paused, blinking as if taken off guard. Leaving you to squirm uncomfortably under their gaze. 

 You were starting to become worried, but as soon as you saw the stars in both their eyes, you questioned why you'd even thought to be. You'd known em all of, what, a week? And you were quickly becoming, whilst not accustomed, or used to--but, well, you were starting to understand these two a little more. Kinda. And their...bright outlook, on everything. 

The expression on your face fell. 

Everything, including, it seemed, you. 

 "WHY OF COURSE YOU CAN JOIN US HUMAN JULIA" Blue beamed at you, and you could practically see the small skeleton vibrating in his excitement. It was kinda impressive actually, you could feel the floorboards trembling underneath your feet. A slight buzz that you probably wouldn't have felt at all if you had been wearing shoes instead of just a thick pair of socks. You preferred going barefoot most of the time if you could, but the fact you could feel his movements at all was a feat in your book. 

 Papyrus was the one who suggested you perhaps get a change of clothes for the occasion, and you gratefully took the chance to retreat from the room- particularly a certain lazy skeletons watching eyes, to your safe haven of sorts of a bedroom. You couldn't put your finger on why, but almost as soon as you'd asked to accompany the two monsters out on their workout session, he'd been practicing seething in his seat, still feigning indifference. You weren't sure how neither Blue nor Papyrus hadn't noticed, maybe because they just weren't looking for it as you were. But it almost seemed as he'd taken your approaching the two cinnamon rolls as a direct challenge. As if he took you using his brother and Blue to escape _him_ was somehow threatening. 

 After rooting around in your drawers to find something comfortable you could move around in, quickly enough finding a pair of black jeans and a thin hoodie. You hopped over a claw that swiped out from under your bed just in time and barreled downstairs in record time, shoving your feet carelessly in the pair of sneakers you'd left on the shoe rack by the front door. 

 Breathing a bit ragged, which honestly didn't have much to say about how well you were going to fare in this outdoor adventure, you followed the two happily chattering skeletons outside. Giving a short nod to the Papyrus who was still stood smoking by the door. He raised a single brow bone at you, as he took a particularly long drag, mouth quirking in a smile, but otherwise said nothing. 

At least he seemed to be in a bit of a better mood than before. Thank god. You didn't think you'd be able to cope with two grumpy skeletons that you were somewhat forced to spend a significant amount of time in company with. One was quite enough, thank you very much. 

 "ALRIGHTY, HUMAN JULIA, FIRST THING'S FIRST! WE MUST, AS UNDYNE SAYS 'GET OUR BLOOD PUMPING', WITH A HEARTY JOG, BEFORE WE BEGIN EXERCISING" came Papyrus' loud and booming voice, that you'd sort of been tuning out as you three all wandered a little deeper into the forest. There was no actual pathway, other than an easily discernible dirt trail that told you the two obviously had been making this journey regularly and often. The trees were thick and the overgrowth thicker, but the house was still partially visible through the trees, and the clearing you soon stopped at was a wide, perfect field for sporting activities. It looked as though it had been cleared out artificially, rather than naturally occurring, since in some spots there were patches where the grass was only just starting to get a foothold, likely where trees or bushes had been leveled. 

You bit your tongue, as well as the comment that neither of them have blood _to_ pump, back down your throat, as both Blue and Papyrus began rigorously stretching in place. Did they even need to stretch, since they didn't have muscles to strain either? But you took their lead and did your best to mirror their actions. Albeit a lot less gracefully, and with a lot more wobbling. And at one point when both you and Blue bent down to the ground in a squatting-like stretch, you lost your balance, and tipped both of you over. As you ended up grabbing the back of his shirt to keep yourself upright. 

"Owwwie..." Blue half mumbled- half chuckled. Smiling good naturedly, as he rolled over to push himself up to his knees. 

 "Sorry Blue, n-never been very good at yoga" you quipped timidly. Though of course Blue took your comment seriously, and assured you that you'd get better if you kept at it. "I BELIEVE IN YOU MISS JULIE" he'd added, before offering you a gloved hand up, which you took gratefully. 

Funnily enough, neither skeleton said anything about your little nickname. Not that you were complaining, it had slipped out by accident, but he didn't seem to mind. Which made it a little easier for you to talk to him, the whole identical doubles thing was more than a little confusing. 

 All was going reasonably well, that is, of course, until the moment came for the warm-up to really start, yknow, warming up. After being given a brief summary of how far and long you would be running, you all took your places beside a starting line that'd been drawn in the dirt right by a particularly knitted oak. Aaaaaand... Bam! You all set of at almost the same time, and whoosh, both skeletons rocketed forwards like speeding torpedoes. You'd pushed yourself forwards, and trotted to a halt just to fully appreciate the speed the two were travelling at. The session had only just begun, and already, within just five minutes, you'd already lost them. Both disappearing from your sight into the trees, leaving behind a cartoonish cloud of dust behind them, as well as you.

 What, in the holy motherfucking mother of fuck, were those two made of?! They'd told you that you were supposed to be jogging--not sprinting like a fucking Olympian! In any other situation, you might have felt a bit put out to be showed up so soon, but this was just getting ridiculous. These skeletons were getting more and more ridiculous. This was supposed to be a jog. And now you were trying to catch up to Sonic the Hedgehogs and lightning Mc Queen's lovechild twins. 

 "Unbelievable..." you huffed, shaking your head before resuming your at your own pace. There was no way in hell you were going to manage to catch up with them, so you didn't bother trying. Instead choosing instead to at least try to enjoy being out and getting some fresh air. After being around so many strangers without reprieve for the past couple of days, it felt good to be away from the house. That went double for Sans, he was long past the point of making you uncomfortable. And it was getting to the point you were starting to wonder what you'd managed to do in such a short period of time to piss him off so badly. The voices had many suggestions of course, a few viable, most less so. But there was no way to confirm it, except by asking him yourself. Fat chance that was gonna happen. You doubted it would be a pleasant conversation. 

 Funny, Blue's brother had seemed just as...unfriendly, as Sans when you'd first met. But he'd mellowed out by the end of the day, so you wondered if maybe it was just a thing the two less animated of the Skeleton family did. Maybe? Like cats before they get used to you, or maybe it was just because they didn't like you getting so much of their brother's attention. It could be a thing. Maybe Sans was just jealous of the new gal, but then again, if he was, that didn't explain why Papyrus had just suddenly been perfectly A-OK with you just after a few hours of pulling the same sneering act. 

 Both Papyrus and Blue passed by you around three times before you even made it half-way through the track, shouting words of encouragement as they passed by you. And by the time you actually completed your warm-up, you were just about ready to call it quits. Both monsters learning pretty fast that your stamina when it came to cardio left much to be desired. But they did however, manage to rope you into another hour with them as they gently led you through the exercises. Apparently they hadn't thought about how you, a human, would participate in an activity meant to train their magic, so they decided to set their 'mighty battle' aside for as long as you were there to engage in more human friendly activities. Which you also sucked at. But you supposed it didn't really matter, since Blue and Paps seemed to be enjoying themselves. They kept on chatting as you all kept going, but you were having a hard time responding since breathing alone had begun to become a great effort in and of itself. Your weak and very uncooperative muscles screaming in protest as you pushed yourself for just a little bit longer. Just a little bit, just for an excuse to stay away from the house. 

 Eventually though, you did indeed have to turn back inside. You did so fighting the urge to scream as you hurtled back through the trees. Showing agility, speed, and coordination that you had lacked before, whilst epically avoiding a torrent of various sized magical bone attacks. Which of course meant that you actually looked like a fish flailing about frantically trying to find a pool of water whilst simultaneously avoiding becoming skewered by harpoons. They weren't aimed at you deliberately, but perhaps you'd have to have a word with the two about maybe watching out for innocent pedestrians whilst launching projectiles at one another in all directions. Otherwise, you would have been happy to stay put and watch them have at it. 

 You were heaving hard when you made it back to the relative safety of the Skeleton household. It looked as though Papyrus had gone back inside too, as you propped yourself up against the spot he'd been leaning against on the wall. Legs wobbling as you greedily sucked in air, heart pounding against your rib cage and pulse thrumming in your throat to the point you were almost sure you were going to be sick. 

Luckily, your legs did not end up buckling under your own weight, and though still shaking and very sweaty, you caught your breath. Then stepped inside, finding the living room empty. As well as the rest of the house, at least, what of it you had access too. If Papyrus or Sans were still at home in their rooms, you were none the wiser. 

 It was quiet, you noticed fairly quickly. It wasn't that, that made it feel strange to you for some reason. But you felt very strongly for some reason or another that the house didn't really suit being so quiet. Your old house had been quiet, very much so, and it had felt right that was. Normal. 

This house? It felt lonely. Like it was alive and living, missing its owners. 

Since there wasn't anything to do, about the off mood of the house or in general. You figured now was the time to wash of the mornings grime, there was still a very long day ahead. And you were not facing it with greasy hair. 

 

 You turned out to be right about the house being empty, something you found out when you hear the front door unlock. Thinking it was Papy and Blue, you made a slight detour in your path from the storage cupboard back on your hunt for some more laundry detergent, to greet them. The laundry you'd put on that morning was all sorted, and you were just about to set another lot on its way. The door opened, and a quiet 'hey' was just about to leave your lips, when you realized that it wasn't the two monsters at all. In fact, it was just one monster. 

A familiar, very much not your fan kind of monster.. 

Sans now stood staring back at you, hand paused midway through closing the door. Silently meeting your gaze, which you in turn drooped. Leaving the both of you just frozen there, stiff, and not at all sure what the other was thinking. 

 The moment dragged out a lot longer than you were happy with. Pinpricks of light digging into you, unfaltering, unwavering. 

Then it passed. 

 As if startled our of some sort of trance, you both snapped out of it. You, coughing a little in your throat as you hurriedly tried to put as much distance between the two of you as you could without making it look obvious. Whilst Sans slowly creaked the door shut with his foot--wait a second... He was wearing...slippers? Had he been out wearing slippers? Never mind, you didn't want to know, you just wanted him to be gone. Instead he lurked, eye sockets that hadn't left you for a moment since he walked in following you as you hunched down to hastily shove the dirty laundry into the machine.

 "Sooo..." an unwelcome voice, one you'd been hoping you wouldn't be hearing, began quietly. And you stopped moving. Not daring to look up, as you heard the rustling of cloth as the Skeleton monster draped himself over the counter to peer down at you. 

"...'d'ya have fun with my bro? Gotta say, didn't expect you'd be so bold to stick by my brother after that little..." he trailed off, and you felt yourself flinch when the sudden drumming of bony fingers against the surface above you made your heart jolt in your chest. 

 You heard an unkind sounding chuckle, before he continued. "Conversation, the other day". 

 You offered no response, you didn't know what to say. You hadn't done anything worth getting angry over, had you? He'd warned you not to mess about and you hadn't, nor had you ever intended to, to begin with! 

 "Thought maybe you'd've been smarter than to go hanging all over 'em", his voice was filled with false friendliness, laced with a venom you didn't know how to deal with. "Don't think I don't see what you're doin' here" he hissed without taking a breath, and all you wanted to do was run away.

What were you doing here? You certainly didn't know. Why couldn't this skeleton just leave you to do your job in peace? 

 "S-sans, sir, I really d-don't understand what I did, I don't understand why you're angry with me" you whimpered in almost a whisper. And for the first time since you'd met him, his face cracked, and he faltered, eyes softening a fraction.

Like he didn't expect that. Like he was caught off guard.

Hesitant, he looked like he was about to say something. 

Then you made the unwitting mistake of meeting his eyes, something hopeful in your own expression. 

 The reaction was instant. He snarled, looking disgusted with himself for a moment, before his eyes narrowed into dangerously thin slits. The change giving you fucking whiplash as he actually snorted, with no mirth at all. Like he'd just found out he'd been tricked and was furious at himself for believing in the lie. 

 He was grimacing when he spoke next, after giving his skull a slight shake. "Good one kid, had me goin' there for a sec, great performance". 

 Why was this monster so fucking angry?!

"Were you _always_ a bigoted piece of shit, or are you gonna blame that on your 'illness' too?". 

What the hell did he mean by calling you that? You hadn't mistreated him in any way, you'd just met the bastard! 

"W-what? I still--I don't understand?" you tried again, but the skeleton just rolled his eyes. If he'd just frickin tell you why the hell he was so damn mad then maybe you could get somewhere. But no! It was just childish fucking moody, pointless bullshi--

"--Just tryin to wrap my head around how humans can stand being so full of shi--" 

"HUMAN JULIA! WE HAVE RETURNED FROM OUR TRAINING SESSION! WOULD YOU CARE TO JOIN US IN PREPARING A BRILLIANT AND HEALTHY MEAL?" 

 The sneer on Sans' face disappeared like magic, switching instantaneously to the lazy shit eating grin that he usually seemed to keep plastered to his face whenever his brother was around. And you must've just looked... Spooked. To the uninformed onlooker, it might've even looked like you'd been having a pleasant little conversation. Since you already looked that way when socializing was involved anyway. 

 Either way, you could have cried. Hastily nodding as you shoved the rest of the baskets worth of laundry in before making a B-line for the two perky monsters. Who seemed completely and utterly unaware of the way their human practically glued herself to their sides for the remainder of the evening. Nor how the skeleton she was guarding from eyed her even more furious than before. 

__

"W-would anyone like some tea? I'm, umm, yknow, jus-just...putting it on now" you offered later that evening. Everyone but you was grouped around the television, whilst something to do with a very glamorous looking calculator thing was posing dramatically on what looked to be various elegant backdrops. That was it, that was the show. Nobody seemed to care. 

"I WOULD LOVE SOME TEA, HUMAN JULIA, THANK YOU" Papyrus called loudly, presumably so that you'd hear him right all the way from across the kitchen and living room. You neglected to inform him that there was really no need. 

"YES PLEASE" Blue also called, equally boisterous in volume. The other two, not so much 

"Sounds great" 

"yup" 

 After locating the drawer that held the mugs and more tea than you were expecting to find, you called out again. There was a lot of tea in there. Like--a ridiculous amount, every box a different kind, some of which you'd never heard of. 

Golden flower tea? Sounded okay, sea tea? Nah. 

"Any preferences?". 

Of course everyone decided on diffrent brands, because just picking one was way too simple. Papyrus and Blue each wanted the Golden flower tea, and blue's brother settled on honey. Honey tea, with added honey, much to Blue's displeasure. He made his thoughts on the unhealthy choice very clear.

"SO MUCH SUGAR IS BAD FOR YOU PAPY!" He'd scolded. 'Papy'  just shrugged noncommittally

Sans, however. 

"mint" 

 You scanned the various labels on the many boxes of different teas again. After quickly locating each of the skeletons preferred brews, you felt yourself heave a heavy sigh. Mint was not amongst them. 

Not so faintly, you heard Papyrus say, "I THOUGHT YOU DISLIKED MINT BROTHER?". 

"nah, love it". 

 A much more raspy sounding Papyrus scoffed, "yeah? Since when?". 

"very recently". 

 Well, there wasn't anything else you could do."Sorry Sans--it looks like there isn't any stocked" you managed, without stammering at all. An accomplishment helped much by distance, and very little attributed to by bravery. 

"aww, well, no worries, I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine going to grab some for me". 

As if on cue you heard the wind give a particularly loud howl. Thick droplets of icy water being blown into the window so heavily you heard each and every drop splatter with a distinct sounding thud. 

There was no fucking way you were going out in that mess, just to bring that creepy ass grumpy motherfucker back something so he could turn his nose at it to make a point. Screw that. 

You were about to just say fuck it and serve him whatever you damn well felt like giving him, before an idea popped into your head. A coy smile spreading across your features as you shot an evil grin towards the back of the asshole monsters head. "oh, wait--we're both in luck, there's some hiding in the back here" you lied. 

Sans turned his head, and you averted your gaze, pretending to reach in deep to grab a box that had really just been plain old normal tea. But you saw his reaction in the corner of your eye. 

The skeletons brow bones furrowed in a look that one could only describe as confusion, and he made a face that said 'well there shouldn't be'. But of course he couldn't very well  _say_ that. So he bit his nonexistent tongue. And said instead, "Oh... Yeah, cool". 

What you did next would probably get you fired. But damn if it didn't feel good. 

Now, you weren't exactly the most confrontational kind of person, but even you had your limits. And while you may not be the most pleasant person to get along with in the world, you certainly weren't that truly terrible to deserve the way Sans had been treating you since the goddamn second you'd walked through the door.

 _"Debatable",_ a snarky hiss in your ear snipped sharply, but you just rolled your eyes at it. You'd barely said a word to the guy, and he was acting as though you were something he's stepped in on the street, thoroughly unpleasant. And, quite frankly, you'd had enough. 

You got enough of that nonsense from your uninvited parasites in your head. 

_"Now who's being unpleasant?"_

_"Honestly, you'd think the girl was developing a backbone all of a sudden"_

So, with a sneaky trip upstairs to gather the needed tools, you stood before Sans' cup. Taking out your half full tube of toothpaste, and whilst checking out fir any witnesses, you made direct contact with Papyrus, who was just watching you with a scandalized expression. 

And squirted the whole thing into the cup. 

With a shared look, and a mischievous wink, Papyrus took his honey tea gratefully from you as you brought the lot over, and said nothing as you both watched Sans choke on his cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late, I'm tired, I'm so behind on my updates.  
>  Sooooo, Sans is kinda a bastard, and this kids, is why we have a wonderful thing called "communication". Isn't it wonderfully frustrating how one's actions misinterpreted can cause so much shite? Not my best chapter dialogue wise, but hey, it's done, now I can just make the next chapter better in compensation.  
> And, we also learned that even a hopeless introvert with a terror of people in general--nevermind a hostile douchebag, can be drawn in by the sweet sweet release of REVENGE, when opportunity strikes.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for the reading, and I hope you enjoyed!  
> Till next time~


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